Department for Transport

Rolling Stock: Sheffield City Region

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking in response to Northern Rail’s confirmation of delays to the replacement of Pacer trains in Sheffield City Region.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the planned end-date is for Northern Rail’s replacement of Pacer trains.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Pacer trains are due to be in operation on 1 January 2020; and on which routes those trains are planned to be in operation on that date.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to support Northern Rail’s retiring of Pacer trains in the Sheffield City region; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Our absolute priority is ensuring passengers in the north benefit from new trains, more services and increased capacity as quickly as possible.Northern retired the first of its 102 Pacers in August and it plans to remove two thirds by December 2019. Northern advises that, subject to receiving appropriate dispensation, up to 34 (11 Class 142 and 23 Class 144) Pacers will remain in the fleet for a short time into 2020 to cover the delay in delivery of new trains into the franchise. If these trains were not allowed to continue in the fleet, then a large number of services would need to be cancelled and causing disruption for passengers across the North. Northern’s current plan is to remove all 142s by February 17, 2020 and to remove 144s by May 17, 2020. The Pacers will operate mainly in South Yorkshire including Sheffield to Gainsborough Central, Huddersfield and Doncaster as well as areas of West Yorkshire and Manchester.

Rolling Stock

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that support is in place for customers using Pacer trains who have special assistance needs.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Every train operator is required to set out how they will support disabled passengers and persons of reduced mobility in an Accessible Transport Policy (ATP). The Accessible Travel Policy, previously known as the Disabled People’s Protection Policy sets out the level of services and facilities that disabled passengers can expect how to get staff assistance. Every train and station operator is required to have in place an ATP as a condition of holding a passenger operator’s licence granted by the Office of Rail and Road. This includes offering ‘Passenger Assist’ to board or alight any vehicle and how to get assistance whilst on board.

Bus Services: Worcestershire

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of the additional funding for bus routes announced in the Spending Review 2019 will be allocated to Worcestershire County Council.

George Freeman: On 30 September, the Government announced a package, worth £220 million, to transform bus services. This includes an extra £30 million for local authorities in 2020/21 to enable them to improve current bus services or to restore lost services. Further details, including the funding allocations for each local authority, will be announced in due course. Further details of the package can be found online with the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-better-deal-for-bus-users/a-better-deal-for-bus-users

Railways: Capital Investment

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Government’s announcement of 10 October 2019 on an infrastructure revolution, what his timescale is for the (a) enhancements pipeline for Network Rail in Control Period 6 between 2019 and 2024 and (b) market led investment proposals for the rail industry.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP) was published on 16th October 2019 and lists all schemes currently in the pipeline and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rail-network-enhancements-pipeline-autumn-2019-update A core principle of the RNEP is that the Government only ever commits to the next stage of development.Timescales for the development of market-led proposals are determined by the pace at which promoters develop them as they are market-led. However, we continue to engage with the promoters of a number of proposals submitted to the department through the 2018 call for ideas.

Roads: Capital Investment

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for publication of the business plan for Road Investment Strategy 2.

George Freeman: The Government expects to publish the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2) before the end of 2019 as planned. Highways England will publish its strategic business plan and delivery plan in response to RIS2 next year, before the second Road Period begins on 1 April 2020.

Department for Transport: Security

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) aviation, (b) rail and (c) maritime industry employees have security passes for access to the Department for Transport.

Chris Heaton-Harris: While each security pass application is scrutinised to ensure the applicants credentials, our access control system database does not differentiate between industry employee status or the mode in which they work.

First Group: Finance

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the financial performance of First Group's rail franchises, whether he plans to review First Group’s pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) passport.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The criteria under which the Department may undertake a review of any prequalification Passport are clearly set out in the Passport documentation, which is publicly available: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rail-franchising-pqq-passport-documentation. Should these criteria be met, the Department would undertake a review.

South Western Railway: Payments

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the £2.6 billion in premium payments has the Department received from South Western Railway operator First/MTR since the start of that franchise in August 2017.

Chris Heaton-Harris: From the start of their franchise contract (August 2017) to the end of the most recent financial year (March 2019), First MTR South Western Trains Ltd paid a total £326m in premium to the government. This is closely aligned with the premium forecasts made for this period at the time of franchise bid. The franchise contract core term runs to August 2024.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to encourage local authorities to use recycled plastic to repair potholes.

George Freeman: The Government is committed to exploring innovative ideas and processes for more environmentally friendly ways of constructing, repairing and maintaining road surfaces. As part of the Live Labs research programme in conjunction with the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) and private partners, the Department for Transport announced in January 2019 funding of £1.6 million to Cumbria County Council to extend a trial for the selection and testing of recycled plastic in surfacing and structural treatments on the local road network. This trial will assess the suitability and durability of the plastics additives from minor patching work and pothole repairs through to major resurfacing. As part of the Live Labs programme, projects will be evaluated and the findings disseminated to highway authorities throughout the UK. The Government will encourage local highway authorities to adopt those policies, processes and new ways of working, successfully trialled through the Live Labs Programme.

Driving: EU Countries

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many EU member states have confirmed that commercial driving licences issued in the UK will be recognised without an international driver's permit in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Chris Heaton-Harris: 24 EU Member States have confirmed that visiting UK photocard driving licence holders will not require an International Driving Permit (IDP) after exit day, including 12 EU Member States who have confirmed that they will also recognise UK paper licences without an IDP. In the case of commercial drivers driving in Croatia, a 1968 format IDP will only be required by bus and minibus drivers (category D1 or D licence) under the age of 24, and drivers of large vehicles over 3,500kg (category C licence) under the age of 21. All drivers will still need to carry their UK driving licence when driving in the EU.

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what additional funding has been made available to the DVSA to cope with increased demand for its services in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Chris Heaton-Harris: DVSA have been allocated £20.34m for Brexit preparations since 2017/18.

Abellio Greater Anglia: Payments

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the £3.7 billion in premium payments the Government has received from Greater Anglia operator Abellio/Mitsui since the start of the franchise in October 2016.

Chris Heaton-Harris: From the start of their franchise contract (October 2016) to the end of the most recent financial year (March 2019), Greater Anglia paid a total of £361m in premium to the government. This is closely aligned with the premium forecasts made for this period at the time of franchise bid. The franchise contract core term runs to October 2025.

Railways: Standards

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve rail safety standards, (b) reduce the number of trains which pass through red signals and (c) mitigate the risk of collision when trains pass through red signals.

Chris Heaton-Harris: While the UK has one of the safest rail networks in the world, my Department continues to work closely with the rail regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, and the rail industry, who have primary responsibility for setting standards, to improve the systems and measures in place that protect workers, passengers and the wider public. The Department is supporting the Rail Safety Standards Board in its work to reduce the safety risk of signals passed at danger, which will be a priority for ORR’s inspections in 2019-2020 and will focus on improving driver vigilance. To enable the roll out of the latest standards of train protection and digital signalling, which will bring even greater levels of safety, we are also developing the East Coast Digital Programme and supporting Network Rail’s Digital Railway Long-Term Deployment Plan.

First Group: Bus Services

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with First Group UK on (a) the provision of bus transport in the UK and (b) their plans for the divestment of their UK bus division.

George Freeman: Ministers and officials meet regularly with a range of bus operators to discuss a variety of issues. A record of ministerial meetings is available at: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/789fd6df-87a9-4144-bc59-62b0b84e59f0/department-for-transport-ministerial-and-special-adviser-meetings-with-external-organisations-including-meetings-with-newspaper-and-other-media-proprietors-editors-and-senior-executives

Retford Station: Lifts

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects work to be commenced on the lower level platform lift at Retford station.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: All Access for All projects are due to be complete by 31 March 2024 at the latest. Retford is making good progress. The option selection process is finished and Network Rail will shortly start design works. Once that is complete we will have confirmed start and completion dates with construction scheduled to ensure minimal disruption to passengers.

Driving: Licensing

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the number of UK citizens aged over 17 who (a) hold and (b) do not hold a full or provisional UK driving licence.

George Freeman: There are more than 49 million people in Great Britain aged 17 or over who hold either a full or provisional driving licence. No estimate has been made of the number of people who do not hold a driving licence. No figures are available for licence holders in Northern Ireland as driver licensing is a devolved matter.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost was of the YouTube video HS2: Upgrading Britain’s Railways dated 8 October 2019.

Paul Maynard: High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd is the company responsible for developing and promoting Britain’s new high speed railway, HS2. The video, commissioned before the Oakervee review, explains how the plans for HS2, should the government choose to proceed with the project after receiving advice from the independent review, could serve the entire rail network by creating more space to improve reliability, reduce overcrowding and allow for growth in future passenger numbers. The work on this video was competitively tendered, with the contract awarded on 7 August 2019 at a cost £9,715 (excluding VAT).

Department for Transport: Energy Supply

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 2 October 2019 to Question 290331 on Department for Transport: Energy Supply, and to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question 290324 on Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Energy Supply, if he will introduce the same policy as the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and switch to an electricity provider that supplies electricity solely from renewable resources within the next 12 months; for what reason his Department has not already ensured its electricity is supplied solely from renewable resources.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department’s response of 2 October 2019 to Question 290331 covered over 1,200 sites and not just our main headquarters building. However, I can confirm that the electricity supplied to our headquarters building has been sourced from solely renewable sources since 2010. The Department will consider further opportunities for increasing the proportion of energy that is sourced from renewable sources as and when contracts are renewed. We are encouraging our ALB’s to switch to renewable sources where they haven’t already.

Railways: Electrification

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding he plans to allocate to the extension of the third rail electric train network.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Government is committed to electrification where it delivers passenger and environmental benefits and delivers value for money. We continue to expand the electrified rail network, using the most appropriate form of technology.

Bus Services: Disability

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress his Department has made on the installation of audio-visual equipment in buses.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government understands the importance of accessible on-board information in helping bus passengers to travel with confidence, and in Summer 2018 published a public consultation on proposals to require its provision on local bus services throughout Great Britain. We continue to analyse responses to the consultation and expect to announce our next steps regarding the making of Regulations and publication of guidance later in the year. This follows the Government’s commitment, set out in the Inclusive Transport Strategy, to invest £2 million towards ensuring that audio visual equipment is installed on buses.

Blue Badge Scheme

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will abolish fees for the Blue Badge Scheme.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: It is for each local authority to decide whether to charge for a Blue Badge. There are no plans to abolish the Blue Badge fee which allows local authorities to recover some of the costs involved with issuing the badge and administering the Scheme. In England the maximum fee that can be charged is £10. On 30 August the scheme in England was extended to include people with non-visible disabilities or conditions which affect an individual’s mobility.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many electric car charging points there are in (a) St Helens, (b) the North West and (c) the UK.

George Freeman: Most chargepoints are installed and operated by private industry and Government does not keep a record of them. Current figures show the UK has over 13,700 charging devices. Some charging devices provide more than one chargepoint totalling over 21,000 publicly available chargepoints, of which over 2,100 are rapids - one of the largest charging networks in Europe. The North West has over 1,100 charging devices and St. Helens has 15 charging devices of which 3 are rapids. Government is supporting the further growth of our charging network through a number of grant schemes. The on-street residential chargepoint scheme is supporting 49 local authorities to install over 1,600 public chargepoints. Grants for private chargepoints have supported the installation of over 120,000 chargepoints in homes and over 5,100 chargepoints in workplaces.

Blue Badge Scheme

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the extension of eligibility criteria for the Blue Badge scheme on trends in the level of applications to that scheme.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department for Transport only has information about the numbers of applications that are submitted online using the gov.uk service. Some local authorities have their own online applications, and most local authorities also offer either a paper-based or another form of assisted application for applicants. Prior to the launch of the new criteria, an average of around 2,000 applications for a badge were received online via gov.uk by local authorities each day. Monday’s are the busiest day, with around 2,200 submitted applications received prior to the launch of the new criteria on 30 August 2019. On the day the new criteria launched 9,134 applications were received online, with a further 4,503 applications received on the first Monday. This has since dropped back to a Monday peak of around 2,700 applications, with 2,691 applications received on Monday 14 October. We will continue to monitor the impact of the new criteria, and will publish figures in due course.

A27: Road Traffic

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when Highways England will bring forward further measures to tackle congestion on the A27 between Worthing and Shoreham; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: Highways England continues to engage with local stakeholders to understand their needs and priorities for the A27. Decisions on future enhancements on the Strategic Road Network will be announced before the end of 2019 as part of the second Road Investment Strategy.

Midlands Connect

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of delivering Midlands Connect.

George Freeman: To date the Government has provided Midlands Connect with £25 million to develop a transport strategy and progress key projects designed to boost productivity and growth in the region. This includes £5 million to develop the Midlands Rail Hub, which is a suite of infrastructure improvements designed to improve rail travel in the region. The cost of delivering Midlands Rail Hub in its entirety is estimated to be between £1.5bn and £2bn.

Bus Services: Concessions

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of providing free bus travel for people under 25.

George Freeman: The Government has not estimated the cost of providing free bus travel to people under 25.

Train Operating Companies: Finance

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the revenue received by train operating companies for all (a) cross-border rail travel between England and Wales in either direction and (b) cross-border rail travel between England and Scotland in either direction; and how many passenger rail journeys there were between (i) England and Wales in either direction and (ii) between England and Scotland in either direction in the last financial year.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publishes annual statistics on regional rail usage. The most recent published figures, for 2017/18, estimate that there were 9.6m passenger rail journeys between England and Scotland in either direction, and 9.5m passenger rail journeys between England and Wales in either direction, during that year. Estimates of the revenue associated with these journeys are not available. Source document is here:https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/1122/regional-rail-usage-2017-18.pdf

Roads: Standards

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what new steps he will take to support improving key roads that are not part of the Major Road Network, outside existing commitments.

George Freeman: The Government currently has a number of programmes running that support improvements to local roads that are not part of the Major Road Network. This includes the development of business cases under the Large Local Majors programme; projects approved and under construction funded through the Local Growth Fund and other funding sources and the Integrated Transport Block for small scale projects, which is paid by formula to all local highways authorities in England, outside London. For future Budgets and Spending Rounds, the Government will consider the case for further investment for improvements to local roads.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of non-competitive electricity prices on the steel sector’s ability to compete internationally.

Nadhim Zahawi: We recognise that industrial consumers currently pay higher electricity prices than elsewhere in the EU. No specific assessment has been made on the impact of electricity price differential on UK steel sector’s competitiveness. The ability of our steel industry to compete globally and across Europe is a priority for this Government. We therefore provide electricity cost compensation and exemption support to maintain the UK’s reputation as an attractive location for these businesses. We have a number of funds available to energy intensive industries, including steel, to help them increase energy efficiency and transition to a low carbon future. These funds include the £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, the Industrial Heat Recovery Support Programme and the recently announced £250 million Clean Steel Fund.

Energy: Costs

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress her Department has made towards achieving the 2017 Conservative manifesto ambition to deliver lowest energy costs in Europe for (a) households and (b) businesses.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: With around 60 domestic suppliers in the market households can make big reductions to their bills when they switch and save. As we continue to work with Ofgem to reform the sector our price cap on standard variable tariffs protects people who can’t or don’t switch, saving them between £75-£100 per year, in addition to the protection provided by the pre-payment meter price cap. The Government is also committed to minimising energy costs for businesses. We are consulting on the final design of the £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund to support businesses with high energy use to cut their bills and emissions. This is in addition to the steps we have taken to reduce the cumulative impact of energy and climate change policies on industrial electricity prices for key Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs) in sectors such as steel, plastics, cement and chemicals. This includes a package of relief for EIIs worth over £900 million since 2013 until the end of financial year 2018/19.

Energy: Costs

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recommendation to align UK industrial electricity prices with such prices in Germany and France in the report entitled The Energy Price Gap, published by UK Steel in October 2019.

Nadhim Zahawi: We are looking carefully at the analysis in the UK Steel report. The Government is committed to minimising energy costs for businesses to ensure our economy remains strong and competitive. Our policies include providing electricity cost compensation and exemption support to maintain the UK’s reputation as an attractive location for energy intensive industries including steel. The £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund will also support businesses with high energy use to cut their bills and emissions.

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if she will introduce (a) discounts on energy network costs, (b) a Capacity Market Levy exemption, (c) 100 per cent compensation for the indirect costs of carbon and (d) other substantive measures to lower electricity prices for the UK steel sector.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government is committed to minimising energy costs for businesses to ensure our economy remains strong and competitive. Network charging is a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator, and we continue to support Ofgem to enable all interested parties to engage in its work to reform network charging arrangements. Our assessment is that both exempting electricity intensive industries from Capacity Market costs and providing 100% compensation for the indirect costs of carbon would not be compatible with current State aid guidelines. The Capacity Market will ensure that all energy consumers – including the steel sector – benefit from a secure and affordable supply of electricity. Eligible businesses in the steel sector already benefit from the maximum rate of compensation for the indirect costs of carbon that is allowable under current State aid guidelines. The £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund will also support businesses with high energy use to cut their bills and emissions.

Executives: Pay

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that executive (a) salaries and (b) bonuses reflect the performance of the companies they run.

Kelly Tolhurst: The existing legal framework provides full transparency about directors’ remuneration arrangements, including on salaries and bonuses, and gives shareholders a strong say on pay. Since 2013, the law has required quoted companies to prepare a directors’ remuneration policy. This must set out how the company proposes to pay directors, including every element of remuneration that a director is entitled to and how it supports the company’s long-term strategy and performance. Companies are required to put the remuneration policy to a binding shareholder vote at least once every three years. Companies must also publish an annual remuneration report showing how the approved pay policy has been implemented, including a single figure for the total pay directors received that year. This report is subject to an annual advisory vote. If the company loses this vote, it is required to put a new remuneration policy to shareholders the following year. Alongside the legislative requirements, the UK Corporate Governance Code includes principles and provisions setting out how companies should approach executive remuneration, including a principle that executive remuneration should be “aligned to company purpose and values and be clearly linked to the successful delivery of the company’s long-term strategy”. The Financial Conduct Authority’s Listing Rules require companies to make a report in their corporate governance statement to enable shareholders to evaluate how the principles have been applied.

Business: Crawley

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps her Department has taken to support businesses in Crawley.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government is committed to making the UK the best place to start and grow a business, ensuring all businesses have access to the advice and support they need to succeed to start, grow, and scale up their businesses. All businesses can access core services, information and guidance on starting up and running a business, as well as their statutory rights and obligations, on our GOV.UK sites and www.gov.uk/browse/business. The Business Finance and Support Finder tool on the website provides information on how to access a wide range of Government-backed financial support for start-up businesses, such as funding and grant schemes. The Government backed British Business Bank (BBB), as of July 2019, has provided funding of £6.6bn to over 89,000 businesses. In addition, since 2012, the Start-Up Loans Company (now part of BBB) has delivered over 67,000 loans worth over £534m. In Crawley they have issued 99 loans since 2012, worth over £680,000. This Government continues to work with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to drive forward local growth. Through three rounds of competitive Growth Deals, Government has invested over £9 billion of funding, including £304.3 million to Coast to Capital LEP, which covers Crawley, to empower local areas to reach their potential, boosting national productivity and growth. We have also supported and invested in the creation of a network of 38 Growth Hubs. Businesses in the Crawley constituency can access business advice through the Coast to Capital Growth Hub. Led and governed by the Coast to Capital LEP, the Growth Hub provides a free, impartial, ‘single point of contact’ to help businesses in the area identify and access the right support for them at the right time no matter their size or sector. This support includes helping businesses prepare for Brexit. In 2018-19 the Coast to Capital Growth Hub supported over 1,503 businesses and helped more than 313 individuals start a business.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps her Department is taking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: The UK has made world-leading progress in cutting our emissions while growing the economy. Our net zero target requires us to build on this progress by transforming our economy – our homes, our transport, our businesses, and how we generate and use energy.We are building on the strong frameworks of the Clean Growth Strategy and Industrial Strategy to deliver the net zero target. Since legislating for net zero the Government has announced £2 billion of investment, including up to £1 billion for the electric vehicle supply chain, and funding for electric vehicle infrastructure, clean steel and hydrogen.The Government will continue to bring forward further plans, for example through the Energy White Paper, Transport Decarbonisation Plan and Heat Roadmap in the coming months.

Insolvency

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans the Government has to bring forward legislative proposals to provide for support for people who are seeking to collect earnings from organisations that have gone into compulsory liquidation.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 17 October 2019



Legislation is continually reviewed to ensure it remains relevant and fit for purpose. The Insolvency Service’s Redundancy Payments Service is committed to ensuring individuals made redundant are paid the monies due to them as quickly as possible. The legislative framework sets out the requirements for collective redundancy consultation and where a protective award is made against a company in liquidation, the Insolvency Service’s Redundancy Payments Service will pay the protective award.

Maritime Enterprise Working Group

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the membership is of the Maritime Enterprise Working Group.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, by which criteria are members of the Maritime Enterprise Working Group selected.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which authority elects members to the Maritime Enterprise Working Group.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Maritime Enterprise Working Group was set up, following the publication of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, to provide a forum for the UK’s professional marine engineering, science, manufacturing and technology community for addressing issues of common concern to secure a truly competitive, sustainable and globally successful marine engineering and shipbuilding industry. Membership includes representatives from industry, government and academia, and chaired by an industry champion Peter French and the list of organisations represented is set out in table 1. The Group reviews and selects representatives from industry, government and academia, on an ad hoc basis as necessary.Table 1IndustryGovernmentAcademiaSociety of Maritime IndustriesNavy CommandUniversity College LondonCammell LairdMinistry of DefenceUniversity of Strathclyde.BAE SystemsDepartment for International Trade Defence & Security Organisation Babcock InternationalDepartment for Business, Energy & industrial Strategy A&P Group  BMT Group  First Marine International Royal Haskoning DHV  Lloyd’s Register

Biofuels: Research

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans her Department has to fund research into micro-algae biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuel.

Chris Skidmore: The majority of BEIS funding for research is allocated through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). UKRI currently funds a large portfolio of research projects looking at bioenergy and other alternative energy sources. Algae have considerable potential as an industrial biotechnology platform serving a wide range of bio-based products. Developed in the right conditions, this could offer a low carbon alternative to existing technologies as well as a sustainable alternative to traditional crop cultivation. Algae-UK, one of six funded Networks in BBSRC’s Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy portfolio, is focussing on realising the potential of algal systems. More widely, the Department has also supported a Science and Innovation Audit for the marine economy in the Highland and Islands region of Scotland, home of 61% of the UK’s coastline. The report, published earlier this year, highlighted the potential value of marine biotechnology to the region, which could be worth £600m by 2030.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Energy Supply

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question 290324, when a decision was taken to ensure that the Department's electricity will be supplied solely from renewable resources.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: The decision to ensure that the Department's electricity will be supplied solely from renewable resources was made in March 2019.

Sizewell C Power Station

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 7 October 2019 to Question 290553 on Sizewell C Power Station, by what framework consumer affordability will be assessed ahead of granting Regulated Asset Base nuclear licences.

Nadhim Zahawi: Our consultation on whether a Regulated Asset Base model could be applied to future nuclear projects set out a proposed test to assess value for money for consumers and taxpayers. The consultation which recently closed is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/regulated-asset-base-rab-model-for-nuclear We are reviewing the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.

Disclosure of Information: EU Law

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether she plans to implement in full the EU Directive 2018/0106 on the protection of persons reporting on breaches of European law.

Kelly Tolhurst: Under the current terms of EU exit, the UK is not required to transpose the Directive into UK law. After the UK leaves the EU it will be for the UK to decide which rights and protections to introduce or enhance in law.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government plans to take to support the automotive industry in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal and exports of UK produced cars become subject to a 10 per cent tariff in line with WTO rules.

Nadhim Zahawi: We are working closely with businesses across the country to help ensure they are prepared for the UK leaving the EU on the 31st October, whatever the circumstances. This includes regular engagement with the automotive industry by both BEIS ministers and officials to discuss plans for no-deal.

Sirius Minerals

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the local economy of his Department's decision to not support a finance package for Sirius Minerals' Woodsmith Mine project.

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the cost to Sirius Minerals PLC of the decision by his Department not to support a finance package for that company's Woodsmith Mine project.

Nadhim Zahawi: Sirius Minerals have recently made a statement to adjust their work programme and undertake a strategic review of the project. The Government will continue to monitor the progress of the work. Sirius Minerals have stated they will continue to find alternative sources of investment so that they can complete the Woodsmith Mine project.

Tickets: Sales

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Consumer White Paper will be published, and whether that paper will include improved protections for online ticket purchases.

Kelly Tolhurst: We intend to bring forward a comprehensive package for consumers as soon as possible. This will ensure consumers continue to enjoy competitive prices, quality products and services and that vulnerable consumers are treated fairly.There is statutory protection for online ticket purchases and enforcement action is being taken where necessary.

Professions: Qualifications

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many mutual recognition agreements for professional qualifications (a) the UK has signed with EU member states and (b) plans to sign by 31 October 2019.

Nadhim Zahawi: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refineries: Fuels

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps her Department has taken to safeguard the supply of reagents and additives for UK fuel refineries in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: The Government continues to work closely with the fuel supply industry to ensure they have taken appropriate mitigating measures to prevent any disruption to their supplies and have plans in place to respond to a range of EU Exit scenarios, including in the event of Brexit without a Withdrawal Agreement. As part of that engagement, we have been in contact with all six UK refineries, who have reviewed their supply chains and confirmed that they have sufficient stockpiles of essential consumables.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Brexit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many face-to-face Brexit Readiness Roadshows his Department has organised for the purpose of providing information and advice in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal; and what the locations were of those roadshows.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department has organised 30 Brexit Business Readiness events over 6 weeks to help prepare businesses for 31 October. Roadshow event locations are: Northampton, Nottingham, Swindon, London, Sheffield, Leicester, Perth, Glasgow, Birmingham, Southampton, Brighton, Hull, Plymouth, Leeds, Derry/Londonderry, Cambridge, Belfast, Ipswich, Newcastle, Carlisle, Cardiff, Liverpool, Wrexham, Bristol, Reading, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Stoke on Trent, Wolverhampton and Canterbury.

Business: Regulation

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of UK regulators taking on regulatory functions currently carried out by EU regulatory bodies when the UK leaves the EU.

Nadhim Zahawi: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

UK Trade with EU

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to page 79 of the Government's No-Deal Readiness report, what assessment she has made of the length of time for which the UK would provide temporary continuity in goods regulation in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government has taken the decision, in the event that we leave the EU without a deal, to provide as much continuity as possible for businesses and consumers. Different goods are regulated in different ways, in part reflecting the different levels of risk they pose to consumers and the environment. The continuity period for each reflects this. Where an end date hasn’t been set already, we have committed to engaging industry before determining the end point for ongoing acceptance of goods made against EU regulations.

Thomas Cook: Insolvency

Ms Lisa Forbes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many requests the Insolvency Service has received for redundancy payments from Thomas Cook employees; and how many of those request were from head office employees.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Insolvency Service’s Redundancy Payments Service has received claims from 7,186 former Thomas Cook employees. 462 of these have specifically stated in their claim that Peterborough was their place of work, though it is not mandatory to do so.

Thomas Cook: Insolvency

Ms Lisa Forbes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what future meetings are planned of the National Taskforce for Thomas Cook; and what funding will be allocated to that task force from the public purse.

Kelly Tolhurst: The fourth meeting of the National Taskforce for Thomas Cook will be held on 23 October 2019. The taskforce aims to ensure existing mechanisms offer support for employees and for the local economies most affected by the liquidation of Thomas Cook.

Thomas Cook: Insolvency

Ms Lisa Forbes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support she plans to provide to businesses in Peterborough that were in the supply chain for Thomas Cook.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Business Secretary has convened a special cross-government taskforce alongside local stakeholders to support employees, local stakeholders and supply chains. The taskforce is considering existing support schemes available and will monitor local business impacts. The Business Board of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, in partnership with Peterborough City Council, has developed a package of support for those affected locally which includes a dedicated advice service. This will support former employees with re-employment or with advice on starting a business of their own, and support businesses in a position to take on redundant employees.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment she has made of the potential effectiveness of the proposal of the trustees of the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme to guarantee beneficiaries' bonuses.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: We are considering the proposals from the Trustees of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme regarding protection for bonuses that have already accrued, and we will report back to the House in due course.

European Social Fund

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding from the European Social Fund (a) the UK and (b) each region of the UK received in the latest year for which figures are available.

Nadhim Zahawi: The European Social Fund (ESF) is designed to reduce social disparities across the EU. In 2019, the total allocation for ESF is as follows:  € (millions)Scotland58.7Wales140.88Northern Ireland29.9England466.1Total695.58 In a No Deal Brexit, the government has guaranteed ESF funding, enabling existing projects to continue, and new projects to be funded until programme closure. Under the terms of the current Withdrawal Agreement, the UK will continue to take part in the current round of ESF funding until programme closure.

European Social Fund

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding from the European Social Fund has been allocated to employment support for (a) disabled people, (b) young people between the ages of 16 and 25 and (c) people who are long-term unemployed in the latest year for which figures are available.

Nadhim Zahawi: ESF is allocated according to thematic objectives set out by the EU, and to specific projects which include a range of areas of intervention such as disability, support for young people, and long term unemployment alongside other areas of intervention. ESF Managing Authorities across the UK are not required under EU regulations to maintain a separate breakdown of the precise categories requested.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate she has made of the number of beneficiaries of the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme who also receive pension credit.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: Information on individual pensioners is not held by the Department. Management of the individual of pensions is a matter for the Mineworkers Pension Scheme Trustess.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the proposals of the trustees of the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme to guarantee beneficiaries bonuses.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Thomas Cook: Insolvency

Ms Lisa Forbes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate she has made of the number of the Thomas Cook employees who have been made redundant in each region of the UK.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Thomas Cook: Insolvency

Ms Lisa Forbes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if she will make new capital grant funding available to businesses in Peterborough to generate jobs after the collapse of Thomas Cook.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Thomas Cook: Insolvency

Ms Lisa Forbes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if she will take steps to  help ensure that the site of the former Thomas Cook headquarters in Peterborough is used to generate future employment.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Biofuels: Subsidies

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to (a) remove biomass subsidies and (b) increase support more sustainable, environmentally-friendly alternatives.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

UK Emissions Trading Scheme

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of the potential economic effect on the energy intensive industries to be included in its proposed UK emissions trading scheme.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: The Government response to the public consultation on the future of UK carbon pricing, jointly undertaken by the Government and Devolved Administrations earlier this year, will include consideration of the impacts of the policy on energy intensive industries. The Government’s response to the consultation will be published in due course.

Fireworks: Sales

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent representations her Department has received on the sale of fireworks to the general public.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has been working to develop a fact-based evidence base on the key issues that have been raised around fireworks. We have received representations from a range of stakeholders including members of the public, organisations and charities, representing a range of views, including on the sale of fireworks to the general public. Most recently we have received the Scottish Government’s response to their consultation on fireworks in Scotland, which we will consider as part of the work on the evidence base.

Urban Areas: North East

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the recent Cambridge University Bennett Institute for Public Policy report entitled Townscapes, The North East, if she will undertake an assessment of the ability of the two North East Local Enterprise Partnerships to tackle decline in North East towns.

Nadhim Zahawi: On 24 July 2018, Government published “Strengthened Local Enterprise Partnerships” which sets out how Government and LEPs will work together to strengthen leadership and capability, improve accountability and manage risk, and provide clarity on geography.Of the £3.4bn of Local Growth Funding that has gone to the Northern Powerhouse, £505.6m has been allocated by the North East and Tees Valley LEPs.LEPs will also play a vital collaborative role in the successful delivery of £3.6bn Towns Fund- seven places in the wider North East have been named among the initial 100 places to benefit from this fund, including Bishop Auckland in County Durham.

Climate Change Convention

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding her Department has allocated to the President of the 26th Conference of the Parties.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: To date, BEIS has not allocated any funding to the President of the 26th Conference of the Parties. BEIS is fully committed to supporting the cross-government effort to deliver COP26 led by the Cabinet Office although the precise amount to be funded by BEIS is still to be determined.

Climate Change Convention

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many staff her Department have recruited to prepare for the UK hosting of the 26th Conference of the Parties.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Climate Change Convention

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what objectives the Government has set for the UK Presidency of the 26th Conference of the Parties.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: The world is not on track to meet the targets set by the Paris Agreement in 2015 of limiting average global temperature increase to well below 2 degrees and pursuing efforts for 1.5 degrees. 2020 is a critical moment, five years on from Paris to raise ambition.Through COP26, we will build on momentum from the recent UN Climate Action Summit, and upcoming COP25 in Chile.Specifically, we will seek to push the highest possible ambition, through new or updated nationally determined contributions in advance of COP26; and commitments from countries, regions, businesses that set a course for net zero by 2050.We will seek to drive ambitious action in areas with the highest potential for transformational change, building on areas of UK strength. Decisions on priority themes will be made in due course.

Climate Change Convention

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what her Department’s strategic priorities will be for the 26th Conference of the Parties UN Climate Conference in 2020.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: BEIS is committed to supporting the central objective of raising global climate ambition, and to seizing the opportunity that COP26 presents to showcase UK capabilities and drive the net zero transition domestically and internationally.COP26 – with 30,000 delegates from across the world – provides a significant opportunity to build on UK strengths across low carbon technologies, services and systems such as offshore wind, green finance, electric vehicles and smart systems.

Climate Change Convention

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of hosting the 26th Conference of the Parties.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: We are relatively early in the preparations, and our estimates of the cost of the conference are developing.

Business: Grants

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if she will publish the names of the organisations that applied for a Brexit Readiness Grant; and how much was awarded to each successful applicant.

Kelly Tolhurst: We have published a list of successful applicants to date for the Business Readiness Fund online at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/governments-business-readiness-fund-approves-101-million-in-grants-to-124-business-organisations.We intend to publish an updated list in due course.

Collective Bargaining

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 3 October 2019 to Question 291066 on Collective Bargaining, whether she plans to encourage companies operating in the UK to ensure that workers in other countries in its supply chain are able to engage in collective bargaining.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 3 October 2019 to Question 291050 on Living Wage, whether she plans to encourage companies operating in the UK to ensure that workers in other countries in its supply chain are paid a living wage.

Kelly Tolhurst: The introduction of the National Living Wage (NLW) in 2016 gave low-paid workers the fastest pay rise in almost 20 years. In April 2019 it increased again by 4.9% to £8.21. Last month, my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exzchequer pledged that the NLW will increase even further, reaching two-thirds of median earnings within five years, provided economic conditions allow.The NLW and National Minimum Wage (NMW) are the statutory minimum rates of pay and apply within the UK. We encourage employers to pay more than the minimum where they can afford to do so.Collective bargaining is largely a matter for individual employers, their employees and their trade unions. The UK complies with its international obligations, including International Labour Organisation conventions on the right to organise and collective bargaining, and we encourage other countries to do the same.

Working Hours

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment her Department has made of the effect on the economy of reducing the working week to 32 hours.

Kelly Tolhurst: A shorter week can create practical challenges in treating all parts of the organisation fairly, and may even limit some employees’ flexibility. While there is evidence that a shorter working week can lead to higher productivity, the extent to which this would offset lost output from reduced hours is unclear.

Thomas Cook: Insolvency

Ms Lisa Forbes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if she will provide former employees of Thomas Cook with (a) retraining opportunities and (b) loans to start new businesses.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Business Secretary has convened a special cross-government taskforce alongside local stakeholders to support employees, local stakeholders and supply chains. The taskforce is considering existing support schemes available and will also monitor local business impacts. The Rapid Response Service is already helping people find a new job as soon as possible by offering tailored support. This includes training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised certification that will improve employability. The Business Board of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, in partnership with Peterborough City Council, has developed a package of support for those affected locally which includes a dedicated advice service. This will support former employees with re-employment or with advice on starting a business of their own, and support businesses in a position to take on redundant employees. It will also provide advice and funding for businesses affected in the supply chain.

Business

Sir David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when she plans to publish the eligibility criteria for companies seeking financial support as part of Operation Kingfisher; and if she will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Restaurants: Gratuities

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that restaurant staff receive 100 per cent of their tips.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Bill, announced as part of the Queen’s Speech, is a key part of the Government’s commitment to building fairer workplaces for all. The Government plans to introduce this legislation in the current Parliamentary session, requiring employers to pass on 100 per cent of tips and service charges to their workers. Where employers distribute tips, they will be required to do so fairly and transparently. We expect over 1 million workers to benefit from this legislation, many of whom earn the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 14 September 2018 to Question 171303, what progress her Department has made in its Ageing Society Mission.

Nadhim Zahawi: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Business: National Security

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in how many business transactions the Government has intervened in the interests of national security since 2015.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which (a) goods and (b) services he Department has classified as vital for UK national security.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what screening of overseas companies her Department undertakes in relation to national security in advance of foreign direct investment by those companies.

Nadhim Zahawi: Under the Enterprise Act 2002, the Government has the power to intervene in mergers that raise public interest concerns including national security. The Government looks at each merger on a case by case basis. Since 2015, the Government has intervened under the Enterprise Act 2002 on the grounds of national security on four occasions: Sepura/Hytera (2017), Northern Aerospace/Gardner Aerospace (2018), Inmarsat/Connect Bidco (2019) and Cobham/AI Convoy Bidco (2019). Each year, Cabinet Office publishes sector security and resilience plans. The plans set out the thirteen critical national infrastructure sectors and their resilience in relation to the risks identified in the National Risk Assessment. The plans can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sector-resilience-plans.

Groceries Code Adjudicator

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of cases heard by the Grocery Code Adjudicator (a) were successfully proven (b) were unsuccessfully proven and (c) dropped before a decision could be made in each years since the establishment of the Adjudicator.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Syria: Military Intervention

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the (a) US withdrawal from and (b) Turkish incursion into Kurdish controlled territory in Syria on (i) UK security and (ii) the global geopolitical situation.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As the Foreign Secretary has said, Turkey's military action has seriously undermined the stability and security of the region. We are deeply concerned about the humanitarian consequences, and the risk that this undermines the progress made in the fight against Daesh. The safety and security of the UK and its citizens is the Government's number one priority and we continue to monitor the situation closely. The UK remains fully committed to the long-term security of the region and to the Global Coalition against Daesh.US troop movements have always been a matter for the US Government.

Syria: Military Intervention

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the US decision to withdraw military forces from the Kurdish controlled territory in Syria.

Dr Andrew Murrison: ​The Government has been in close contact with the United States over the situation in north-east Syria. The Foreign Secretary has spoken to both Secretary of State Pompeo and National Security Adviser O'Brien on this issue. The Prime Minister and the Defence Secretary have also spoken to their US counterparts. We will continue to work closely with our international partners on this issue.

Syria: Military Intervention

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the Turkish Government on the Turkish military incursion into Kurdish controlled territory in Syria.

Dr Andrew Murrison: ​The UK has been consistently clear with Turkey on our opposition to its military action in north-east Syria. The Prime Minister spoke to President Erdogan on the 12 October and called on Turkey to end its military operation. The Defence Secretary and Foreign Secretary have also communicated these messages to their Turkish counterparts.

Sudan: Violence

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Sudanese counterpart on ensuring accountability for the violence in Khartoum on 3 June 2019.

Andrew Stephenson: The UK has consistently made clear to the Sudanese authorities that there must be justice and accountability for crimes committed by the former regime, including the violence against peaceful protesters on 3 June. We welcome the Sudanese commitment to an independent investigation into these events and urge the Sudanese authorities to deliver this swiftly.We regularly discuss the human rights situation in Sudan and the issue of accountability with Sudanese counterparts. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State responsible for human rights, did so with the Sudanese Ambassador to London on 5 August, and the UK Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva did so with the Sudanese Minister for Justice in the margins of the September UN Human Rights Council. We continue to do so regularly at official level. This is underpinned by our statement at the Human Rights Council on 25 September, where we publicly welcomed the formation of an independent committee of inquiry into the events of 3 June and urged all parties to ensure these investigations are independent and transparent.

Anoosheh Ashoori

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress his Department made during the United Nations General Assembly of September 2019 on securing the release of the hon. Member for Lewisham East's constituent, Mr Anoosheh Ashoori.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Prime Minister raised his concerns about dual national detentions with President Rouhani at the UN General Assembly on 24 September. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon hosted an event at the UN General Assembly on 25 September to call out the failings of the Iranian judiciary in its handling of dual national cases.

Anoosheh Ashoori

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last discussed with his Iranian counterpart the case of the hon. Member for Lewisham East's constituent, Anoosheh Ashoori.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Prime Minister raised his concerns about dual national detentions with President Rouhani on 24 September, the Foreign Secretary did so with Foreign Minister Zarif on 17 September and Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon hosted an event at the UN General Assembly on 25 September to call out the failings of the Iranian judiciary. I raised my concerns about these cases with my Iranian counterparts when I visited Tehran in June.

Anoosheh Ashoori

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when UK diplomats last met with the hon. Member for Lewisham East's constituent, Mr Anoosheh Ashoori.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Iran does not recognise dual nationality and therefore does not permit consular access to British-Iranian detainees. Regardless, we continue to press the Iranian authorities for consular access.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what further discussions he has had with the 80 member states that did not vote in favour of the UN resolution on the future of the Chagos Islands.

Christopher Pincher: The British Government engages regularly with all members of the United Nations. Many of those member states that did not vote in favour of the UN resolution shared our concern that Mauritius had circumvented the principle that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) should consider bilateral disputes only with the consent of the relevant states. Furthermore, of the states that voted in favour of the resolution, some explained publicly that they had done so out of respect for the ICJ and not necessarily because they agreed with the substance of the resolution.

Ilois

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take further steps to support Chagossians in (a) the UK, the (b) Seychelles and (c) Mauritius to (i) find employment and (ii) preserve their heritage.

Christopher Pincher: The British Government announced in November 2016 that it would implement a support package worth approximately £40 million over ten years to provide Chagossians in the communities in which they currently live (predominantly the United Kingdom, Mauritius and Seychelles) with tangible life chances. The package focuses on improved access to health and social care, better education and employment opportunities, cultural conservation and an expanded programme of visits to BIOT for Chagossians. English language courses for Chagossians in Mauritius are proving successful in terms of early interest, registration and attendance. In the United Kingdom we are offering English language courses to Chagossians, as well as officially recognised statements that benchmark internationally attained qualifications against the UK skills framework. Further projects will be developed in Mauritius, United Kingdom and Seychelles in the areas for which the support package is intended.

Syria: Turkey

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of Turkey's compliance with international law in relation to that country's recent actions in Kurdish occupied northern Syria.

Dr Andrew Murrison: ​We are seriously concerned about reports of violations of International Humanitarian Law during the military offensive by Turkish forces and their Syrian allies. We have raised these concerns with the Government of Turkey and reiterated the importance of all sides abiding by their obligations under international law.

Colombia: Paramilitary Forces

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of (a) the accuracy of reports of attacks in Colombia on the headquarters of opposition parties by right wing paramilitary groups and (b) the adequacy of the Colombian’s Government's response to those attacks; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Pincher: ​We are concerned by reports of violence against political groups as Colombia prepares for regional elections on 27 October. The United Kingdom is supportive of the Colombian authorities as they seek to ensure sustainable peace in Colombia, and we will continue to work closely with the Colombian government and civil society on the peace process and related matters.

China: Uighurs

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) governance of and (b) humanitarian situation in (i) Uighur and (ii) Xinjiang province, China.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: ​We have serious concerns about the human rights and humanitarian situation in Xinjiang, where there are credible reports of over a million Uyghurs and other minorities being detained in so called "re-education camps." British diplomats in China visit Xinjiang regularly, most recently in May, in order to see the situation at first-hand. Their observations have supported much of the recent open source reporting, including reports of widespread surveillance measures, restrictions targeted at specific ethnic groups, and restrictions on the ability to freely practice religion.

Syria: British Nationals Abroad

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the BBC video report by journalist Fred Scott dated 13 October on three UK orphans in Syria, if she will take steps to return (a) those UK orphans and (b) other UK children in a similar position to the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Andrew Murrison: We are urgently considering how we can assist UK orphans. Given the UK has no consular presence in Syria, this is extremely difficult. The Foreign Secretary has made clear that the Government will seek to assist any British unaccompanied minors and orphans in Syria, who are brought to our attention.Our advice to any British national abroad who needs emergency help from the British Government is to contact the nearest British Embassy or Consulate, which in this case will be outside Syria. If a minor is unable to do so, a request can be made on their behalf. British nationals can also call the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The number is clearly advertised on FCO Syria Travel Advice pages.

Syria: Kurds

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that Kurdish people in (a) Syria and (b) surrounding regions do not come to harm following the US troop withdrawal from that area.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that Kurdish people do not come to harm following the implementation of what Turkish officials are calling the safe zone.

Dr Andrew Murrison: ​We have repeatedly called on Turkey to exercise maximum restraint and bring an end to their military operation in north east Syria. We expect all parties to respect their obligations towards civilians and under International Humanitarian Law. The Prime Minister made this clear to President Erdogan on 11 October.

Greece: Asylum

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the provision of essential healthcare and mental healthcare for unaccompanied minors in Greece.

Christopher Pincher: The Greek Government is responsible for supporting migrants on arrival in Greece, including healthcare for unaccompanied minors. The EU has allocated over €2 billion since 2015 to support Greek handling of migration and border management. The United Kingdom is also providing bilateral support. This includes, in 2019, funding a shelter for the most vulnerable unaccompanied children who arrive in Samos. In addition, under Section 67 of the 2016 Immigration Act (the "Dubs Amendment") the United Kingdom is accepting the transfer of some of the most vulnerable unaccompanied children from Greece.

Members: Correspondence

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to respond to the letter to the Prime Minister of 12 September 2019 from the hon. Member for Birmingham Northfield and other hon. Members and Peers on Prime Minister Netanyahu's announcement that he intends to annex the Jordan Valley to Israel.

Dr Andrew Murrison: ​I have responded to the Hon Member's letter.

Sri Lanka: Tamils

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Sri Lankan counterpart on the status of Tamil people in Sri Lanka.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The UK has called on the Government of Sri Lanka to make progress on human rights issues for all communities in Sri Lanka. The UK continues to encourage and support Sri Lanka to deliver the commitments it made to the UN Human Rights Council through Resolutions (UNHRC) 30/1, 34/1 and 40/1. A national process initiated by the Government of Sri Lanka and supported by all communities offers the best route to achieve these goals. We continue to look to Sri Lanka to deliver in full the commitments it has made to the UNHRC.We continue to raise human rights issues in our engagement with the Government of Sri Lanka. During his recent visit to Sri Lanka on 2-3 October, Minister of State for the Commonwealth, UN and South Asia Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon met with faith and political leaders including the leader of the Tamil National Alliance R Sampanthan. He reinforced to Foreign Minister Marapana the importance of Sri Lanka delivering fully on its commitments to the UNHRC.The UK remains committed to supporting peacebuilding, human rights and development in Sri Lanka for all its communities. We are providing funding through the Conflict, Stability and Security fund to support police reform and training, reconciliation, peace building and demining in the north of the country.

Sri Lanka: Tamils

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK Government is taking to support the protection of human rights of Tamil communities in Sri Lanka.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The UK has called on the Government of Sri Lanka to make progress on human rights issues for all communities in Sri Lanka. The UK continues to encourage and support Sri Lanka to deliver the commitments it made to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) through Resolutions 30/1, 34/1 and 40/1. A national process initiated by the Government of Sri Lanka and supported by all communities offers the best route to achieve these goals. We continue to look to Sri Lanka to deliver in full the commitments it has made to the UNHRC.We continue to raise human rights issues in our engagement with the Government of Sri Lanka. During his recent visit to Sri Lanka on 2-3 October, Minister of State for the Commonwealth, UN and South Asia Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon met with faith and political leaders including the leader of the Tamil National Alliance R Sampanthan. He reinforced to Foreign Minister Marapana the importance of Sri Lanka delivering fully on its commitments to the UNHRC.The UK remains committed to supporting peacebuilding, human rights and development in Sri Lanka for all its communities. We are providing funding through the Conflict, Stability and Security fund to support police reform and training, reconciliation, peace building and demining in the north of the country.

Turkey: Refugees

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on reviewing the EU-Turkey refugee agreement; and what steps he is taking to ensure the safety of refugees in Turkey and the surrounding region.

Christopher Pincher: We are committed to supporting the implementation of the EU-Turkey deal, which is key to managing effectively migratory flows and preventing people risking their lives in attempts to cross the Aegean. As declared in a joint EU statement issued on 14 October, we remain engaged in efforts to effectively address the serious humanitarian and refugee crisis, and ensuring the safety of refugees. We and our European partners have been clear that we cannot support any plans to return refugees to Syria unless conditions are in place for voluntary, safe and dignified return.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Burma

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what policies are in place to ensure that staff of his Department based in Burma do not use Burmese military owned companies to provide goods and services.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: As the recent UN Fact Finding Mission report sets out, the Burmese Military and companies linked to it are entrenched across the economy. Some of the relationships are opaque, and being clear about the precise details of ownership of a company or a piece of land is sometimes very difficult. However, the British Embassy in Yangon has a thorough due diligence process for its engagement with the private sector and goes to great lengths to avoid using military owned companies to provide goods or services.

Armed Forces: Private Education

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding his Department has allocated for the Continuity of Education Allowance to fund school places (a) globally and (b) in England in each of the last five financial years.

Christopher Pincher: Members of the diplomatic service are expected to be widely deployable throughout their career. Whilst many parents prefer to take their children with them abroad, in some of the 168 countries and territories where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has UK-based staff, we do not permit staff to take their children either for health or security reasons. In others, local schools of an acceptable standard are not available. However, frequent moves by staff and families between the United Kingdom and overseas, and between Posts overseas, can be disruptive to the education of the children. Therefore, the FCO provides Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA). This enables staff who meet certain eligibility criteria to choose to provide an uninterrupted education for their children at a British boarding school in the United Kingdom while they continue to take up postings overseas at regular intervals during their career. CEA is a long-standing policy run under successive governments that provides clearly defined and limited financial support to staff to help maintain the continuity of their children's education.The figures below are for the whole of the United Kingdom, not just England:Continuity of Education Figures​Financial YearTotal CEA Costs2018/19£10,932,399.002017/18£11,725.460.002016/17£12,703,109.002015/16£12,409,062.002014/15£12,943,134.00 UK based staff who do not use CEA are still required to ensure that their children receive a full-time education from the start of the school term beginning after the child's 5th birthday, continuing until they reach school leaving age. Where no suitable free English language based schooling is available the FCO will meet the costs of schooling at an appropriate English language school (and in some instances non-English language schools) from a list of pre-identified options in the city where staff are based. Currently free English language based schooling is only available in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.Education at Post figures​Financial YearCost of Private Schools fees overseas2018/19£17,266,529.002017/18£16,125,040.002016/17£14,339,087.002015/16£14,207,444.002014/15£11,782,957.00

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Energy Supply

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 2 October 2019 to Question 290335 and to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question 290324, if he will introduce the same policy as the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and switch to an electricity provider that supplies electricity solely from renewable resources within the next 12 months; and for what reason his Department has not already ensured its electricity is supplied solely from renewable resources.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The electricity used by the FCO across its UK estate is procured using the Crown Commercial Service (CCS). CCS is an executive agency and trading fund of the Cabinet Office of the British Government.Through their competitively tendered Energy related commercial agreements, CCS ensure all legislation is adhered to including the environmental standards of suppliers. CCS is not able to dictate the sources of power to be supplied to the government departments as this is internal policy driven. The FCO is currently receiving electricity from the standard UK supply mix, however they have the option to access renewable energy from a variety of alternative routes, taking into account the additional financial commitment.The current CCS framework under which the FCO procures its electricity expires in 2023. Under the CCS framework, the electricity is supplied by EDF. The electricity supplied is not solely from renewable resources. The CCS Framework does provide the ability to have electricity solely from renewable resources. The FCO is investigating this option.The FCO actively seeks to manage its energy consumption as demonstrated by having reduced carbon emissions associated with its UK energy consumption from 9,485 tCO2e in 2017/18 to 7,357 tCO2e in 2018/19, a reduction of 22.44%.

Greek Islands: Asylum

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Greek counterpart on that Governments policy to contain people on Greek islands in the Aegean sea following reports of (a) inhumane living conditions, (b) generalised insecurity and (c) inadequate provision of essential healthcare and mental healthcare services for children and unaccompanied minors on those islands.

Christopher Pincher: New migrant arrivals on the Greek islands are accommodated in Reception and Identification Centres ("hotspots") while they are processed in line with the 2016 EU/Turkey statement. Due to high numbers of arrivals, some of the hotspots are operating well beyond capacity and conditions for many migrants are poor. The United Kingdom continues to raise concerns about conditions on the islands in discussions with the Greek Government.As part of its efforts to ease congestion on the islands, the Greek Government is transferring the most vulnerable migrants to accommodation on the Greek mainland. As part of our support for the EU/Turkey statement, the United Kingdom is providing interpreters to support migrants in the hotspots, including to help identify the most vulnerable. We are also funding a shelter for the most vulnerable unaccompanied children on Samos.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many full time equivalent staff worked on climate change and energy in (a) his Department's UK-based offices and (b) embassies, high commissions and other overseas posts in each year from and including 2010 to 2019.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) works actively across the international climate and energy agenda in partnership with the work of the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and other government departments. Some of the functions previously filled by FCO staff are now delivered by officials in these departments, for example, international climate change strategy and policy.Climate Change and Energy (CCE) work is a network-wide priority, so forms part of a wide range of officers' work, including Heads of Mission and staff at all levels. The time allocated varies widely from a very small part of an officer's time to full time work on CCE.The table below shows numbers of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) FCO staff working on CCE issues. Staffing figures rely on individual staff members' recording of their activities.Financial YearFTE FCO Staff working in LondonFTE FCO Staff working overseasTotal2009/1069.175264.951334.1262010/1147.493204.508252.0012011/1248.278166.218214.4962012/1343.840169.939213.7792013/1444.897156.699201.5962014/1541.482162.824204.3062015/1631.937148.539180.4762016/1718.77111.86130.632017/1811.50597.019108.5242018/1910.1996.712106.9022019/2019.59109.067128.657

Syria: British Nationals Abroad

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of British children trapped in north east Syria.

Dr Andrew Murrison: We are aware that some British nationals, including children, are living in displaced persons camps in Syria but due to the circumstances on the ground we are not in a position to make an accurate estimate of the number.

Syria: British Nationals Abroad

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to evacuate all British children trapped in north east Syria.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Foreign Secretary has made clear that the Government will seek to assist any British unaccompanied minors and orphans in Syria, who are brought to our attention. The UK has no consular presence within Syria from which to provide assistance, but we carefully consider all requests.Our advice to any British national abroad who needs emergency help from the British Government is to contact the nearest British Embassy or Consulate, which in this case will be outside Syria. A request can be made on behalf of a minor. British nationals can also call the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The number is clearly advertised on FCO Syria Travel Advice pages.

Syria: British Nationals Abroad

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his officials have had with representatives of regional authorities in north east Syria on the (a) evacuation and (b) repatriation of British children.

Dr Andrew Murrison: ​Officials have discussed the evacuation and repatriation of British orphans and unaccompanied minors with representatives of the civilian de facto authorities in north east Syria on several occasions, most recently on 18 October.

Abd a-Rahman a-Shteiwi

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Israeli Government on conducting a criminal investigation into the alleged shooting by the Israeli Defence Force of a 9 year old Palestinian boy, Abd a-Rahman a-Shteiwi on 12 July 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 2 October (PQ 291575). Our Embassy in Tel Aviv has raised the death of Abd a-Rahman with the Israeli authorities, stressing the importance of protecting civilians, especially children. The British Government is very concerned at the high numbers of Palestinian children killed and injured by Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank and Gaza. We have raised the issue of excessive use of force, including use of live ammunition with both the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories and the Israeli Ministry of Defense. We will continue to encourage the Israeli authorities to carry out transparent investigations on the use of live fire.

Uganda: Homosexuality

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether Uganda has abandoned plans to re-introduce an anti-homosexuality Bill imposing the death penalty on homosexuals.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take in response to reports that the Ugandan Government plans to re-introduce a Bill imposing the death penalty on homosexuals.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the UK has made to the Ugandan Government on reports that it will re-introduce a Bill imposing the death penalty on homosexuals.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to safeguard British citizens who identify as LGBT+ who are working and travelling in Uganda following reports that that country's Government plans to re-introduce a Bill imposing the death penalty on homosexuals.

Andrew Stephenson: The British Government is fundamentally opposed to all forms of discrimination and works to uphold the rights and freedoms of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) people in all circumstances. We note that an Ugandan Government spokesperson confirmed publicly on 11 October they do not intend to introduce new anti-homosexuality laws and we continue to follow closely any developments related to the death penalty. In Uganda, UK Aid funds human rights training for police and the prisons service. Our Travel Advice on Uganda for British citizens is kept under constant review and is regularly updated with any changes. We also have a dedicated travel guidance page for LGBT British travellers.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Private Education

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department spent from the Continuity of Education Allowance on placements at (a) Eton, (b) Charterhouse, (c) Harrow, (d) Rugby, (e) Shrewsbury, (f) Westminster, (g) Winchester, (h) St Paul's and (i) Merchant Taylors schools in the last financial year for which data is available.

Christopher Pincher: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

China: Prisoners

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question HL17757 on China: Prisoners, when his Department held its most recent consultation relating to organ harvesting in the People’s Republic of China with (a) the World Health Organisation and (b) other international organisations.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The World Health Organisation (WHO) and other international organisations act independently of the British Government, and as such we cannot disclose, nor oblige them to disclose, the details of their work. Our most recent consultation with the WHO relating to organ harvesting in China took place on 15 May.We consult and share assessments with a wide range of human rights and international organisations on the basis of confidentiality. In order to maintain working relationships with these organisations, we do not publish details of discussions between them and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

China: Transplant Surgery

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 3 September 2019 to Question 281598 on Organs, what steps the Government plans to take in response to reports of (a) the mistreatment of Falun Gong practitioners and (b) abuses taking place within China’s transplant system.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: There is credible evidence that Falun Gong practitioners are subjected to serious mistreatment. We regularly raise concerns with China on the treatment of religious and ethnic minorities, and continue to monitor evidence surrounding abuses taking place within China’s transplant system.On 26 September during an Urgent Question on Hong Kong, the Foreign Secretary set out the UK’s position on the persecution of religious groups in China, including Falun Gong practitioners, on the grounds of religion or belief. As the Foreign Secretary stated in the House, we are concerned that Chinese Government guidelines on unapproved religious activity, education and travel may restrict the peaceful observation of those rights. Further, at the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council in July 2019, we raised our concerns about freedom of religion or belief in our ‘Item 4’ national statement.

Catalonia: Sovereignty

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Spanish counterpart on the (a) general and (b) police response to pro-independence demonstrations in Catalonia.

Christopher Pincher: I am saddened that a minority of protesters have resorted to violence in Catalonia. It is important that all parties work to resolve their political differences peacefully and in line with the Spanish legal framework and constitution. The Government has been clear that the situation in the Autonomous Community of Catalonia is a matter for Spain, and that questions related to the issue of independence should be resolved within the proper constitutional and legal channels. I recently outlined this position to the Spanish Ambassador and in Parliament on 15 October.

Uganda: Homosexuality

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has had made to his Ugandan counterpart on the proposed legislation in that country to impose the death penalty as a punishment for gay sex.

Andrew Stephenson: On 11 October a spokesperson from the Ugandan Government confirmed they do not intend to introduce new anti-homosexuality laws and we continue to follow closely any developments related to the death penalty. The British Government is fundamentally opposed to all forms of discrimination and works to uphold the rights and freedoms of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) people in all circumstances. We make regular representation to governments around the world on this issue. The UK also works with international partners and in multilateral fora including the UN, EU and the Commonwealth to promote tolerance and non-discrimination towards LGBT people globally, and to address discriminatory laws.

Uganda: Human Rights

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps the Government is taking to improve human rights in Uganda.

Andrew Stephenson: ​The UK firmly believes that human rights are universal and should apply equally to all people. We promote universal human rights as part of our Commonwealth engagement. Where we have specific concerns, we raise them directly as part of our ongoing dialogue with the Ugandan Government. Our High Commission, alongside other missions in Kampala, has released statements calling on the Ugandan Government to guarantee freedoms enshrined in the Ugandan Constitution. In Uganda, UK Aid funds human rights training for police and the prisons service. We will continue to support civil society groups in Uganda working to improve protection of minority rights.

Syria: British Nationals Abroad

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans the Government has to evacuate British children and their mothers from north east Syria.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK has no consular presence within Syria from which to provide assistance. This makes it difficult to help but we will take a case-by-case approach to any requests for assistance. The Foreign Secretary has made clear that the Government will seek to assist any British unaccompanied minors and orphans in Syria, who are brought to our attention. Outside of Syria, we would of course respond to requests for consular assistance regarding British children.

Syria: British Nationals Abroad

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to repatriate the mothers of British children trapped in north east Syria.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Foreign Secretary has made clear that the Government will seek to assist any British unaccompanied minors and orphans in Syria, who are brought to our attention. The UK has no consular presence within Syria from which to provide assistance. This makes it difficult to help but we will take a case-by-case approach to any requests for assistance. Outside of Syria, we would of course respond to requests for consular assistance.Our advice to any British national abroad who needs emergency help from the British Government is to contact the nearest British Embassy or Consulate, which in this case will be outside Syria. If a minor is unable to do so, a request can be made on their behalf. British nationals can also call the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The number is clearly advertised on FCO Syria Travel Advice pages.

China: Prisoners

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 3 September 2019 to Question 281598 on Organs, what assessment the Government has made of the validity of reports of organ harvesting in the People’s Republic of China; and what steps the Government is taking in response to those reports.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government’s position has not changed. As the Prime Minister’s former Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion and Belief, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, said in Parliament on 25 July,“I note the time and energy that the International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China has dedicated to this issue. Officials have reviewed the evidence thoroughly. While the evidence is not incontrovertible, we take these allegations seriously and have consulted the World Health Organization and international partners. The evidence provided disturbing details about the mistreatment of Falun Gong practitioners, and raised worrying questions about China’s transplant system. We continue to monitor all available evidence.”

Department for Exiting the European Union

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the Government's No-Deal Readiness Report, what steps the Government plans to take to support the automotive industry in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal and exports of cars to the EU are subject to a 10 per cent tariff on finished vehicles in line with the EU’s Most Favoured Nation tariff.

James Duddridge: Officials have regular ongoing engagement with the automotive sector and the Government will continue to work closely with the industry to support future trade.The No-Deal Readiness Report sets out Government preparation for leaving without a deal in the areas of Manufactured Goods Regulation and Vehicles and Components, as well as the actions businesses should take. The Government has also published a technical notice on placing manufactured goods on the EU market after Brexit as well as dedicated, tailored advice for the automotive sector.https://www.gov.uk/guidance/placing-manufactured-goods-on-the-eu-internal-market-if-theres-no-dealhttps://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-automotive-sector-and-preparing-for-eu-exitAs referred to in the No-Deal Readiness Report, we recognise that adapting to new regulatory requirements takes time, so the Government will provide continuity in goods regulation for a temporary period after exit day. If UK manufacturers, distributors and importers continue to meet EU requirements, their goods can still be placed on the EU market.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/837632/No_deal_readiness_paper.PDF

Department for Exiting the European Union: Jainism

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will invite representatives of the Jain community to national events organised by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

James Duddridge: Britain’s Jain community makes a positive contribution to life in this country. This Government values its contribution immensely.The Government is always keen to work with the Jain community on matters that are important to them, and we will continue to do so.

Department of Health and Social Care

Radioisotopes: Imports

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the August 2019 British Nuclear Medicine Society's open letter to the Prime Minister on radioisotope delivery, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the costs of radioisotope delivery of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the matters raised in the joint letter of 1 August 2019 from the British Nuclear Medicine Society and the Royal College of Radiologists to the Prime Minister entitled continued supply of medical radioisotopes in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the joint letter of 1 August 2019 from the British Nuclear Medicine Society and the Royal College of Radiologists to the Prime Minister entitled continued supply of medical radioisotopes in the event of a no-deal Brexit, if the NHS will allocate additional funding to NHS trusts to cover increased costs incurred for the supply of medical isotopes in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the joint letter of 1 August 2019 from the British Nuclear Medicine Society and the Royal College of Radiologists to the Prime Minister entitled continued supply of medical radioisotopes in the event of a no-deal Brexit, if his Department will respond to the concerns raised in that letter about the timely delivery of medical radioisotopes to the North of England, the South West of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Edward Argar: The Department is doing everything appropriate to prepare for leaving the European Union. We want to reassure patients that our plans should ensure the uninterrupted supply of medicines and medical products, including medical radioisotopes, once we have left the EU.The Department’s plans include implementing a multi-layered approach to mitigate potential disruption to supply, which consists of stockpiling where possible, securing freight capacity, changing or clarifying regulatory requirements, procuring additional warehousing, working closely with industry to improve trader readiness and putting in place the National Supply Disruption Response to manage potential shortages. Further details can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/medicines-and-medical-products-supply-government-updates-no-deal-brexit-plans.The supply of medical radioisotopes is being handled by dedicated officials, in collaboration with Devolved Administrations, the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories, as these products have particularly short shelf lives and therefore cannot be stockpiled, as well as having complex transport requirements given the radioactivity involved. The Department, together with other Government Departments and representatives from industry (suppliers and couriers), has also successfully completed an operational testing exercise to help to ensure the uninterrupted flow of medical radioisotopes if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. This has allowed us to test the resilience of the supply chain arrangements for medical radioisotopes. Prices of medicines often vary due to a wide variety of factors under normal conditions and there is no evidence that the cost of medicines to the NHS are outside of expected ranges. We will continue to monitor this. The UK Government is working closely with the Devolved Administrations, the NHS and suppliers of medical radioisotopes to monitor the costs of radiopharmaceuticals to the NHS in 2019-20.

Antidepressants: Children and Young People

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prescriptions for anti-depressants were issued to (a) children aged under 16, (b) teenagers aged 16 to 17 and (c) young people aged 18 to 21 in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) children under the age of 16, (b) teenagers aged 16 to 17 and (c) young people aged 18 to 21 were prescribed anti-depressants in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Ms Nadine Dorries: No data is captured relating to the clinical indication a prescription is intended for. Some antidepressant drugs can be used for a variety of clinical indications and therefore the figures provided may include items which may have been prescribed for a different condition. The list of antidepressants which have been identified for this response are those listed within British National Formulary (BNF) chapter 4 section 3 (Antidepressant Drugs).The NHS Business Services Authority only holds data relating to patient ages from April 2015. Therefore, the data attached is for the three full years for which there is data available.



PQ546 table
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Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the merits of (a) splitting Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation Trust into separate trusts and (b) retaining that Trust as a single trust.

Edward Argar: No comparative assessment has been made of the merits of splitting Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust into separate trusts and retaining it as a single trust. Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust is committed to delivering improved services for its patients in Norfolk and Suffolk in line with the agreed local mental health strategies for children, adults and older people in Norfolk and Suffolk. It is working collaboratively with its National Health Service and local authority partners to strengthen the local accountability of services and ensure that they are developed in a more integrated way with other local providers, for the benefit of patients in both Norfolk and Suffolk.

Epilepsy: Drugs

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether anti-epileptic drugs are exempted from serious shortage protocols; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the use of such protocols on (a) people with learning disabilities and (b) their families in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a withdrawal agreement.

Edward Argar: While Serious Shortage Protocols (SSP) in England have the scope to cover all medicines and appliances that are on a National Health Service prescription in primary care, including anti-epileptic drugs, it is clear that an SSP for therapeutic or generic equivalents will not necessarily be suitable for all medicines and patients. For example, where medicines need to be prescribed by brand for clinical reasons, which is the case for epilepsy medication.Any protocol would only be introduced if clinicians with expertise in the relevant area think it is appropriate. Pharmacists will have to use their professional judgment as to whether supplying against the protocol rather than the prescription is appropriate or the patient should be referred to their prescriber.The legislation enabling Ministers to issue SSPs was not introduced as a European Union exit measure alone but as a business-as-usual measure that can be used before and after our exit from the EU.

Epilepsy: Drugs

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of anti-epilepsy medications in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Edward Argar: The Department is doing everything appropriate to prepare for leaving the European Union. We want to reassure patients that our plans should ensure the uninterrupted supply of medicines and medical products, including those used for the treatment of epilepsy, once we have left the EU.The Department, as part of our EU exit preparations, is implementing a multi-layered approach to mitigate potential disruption to supply, which consists of stockpiling where possible, securing freight capacity, changing or clarifying regulatory requirements, procuring additional warehousing, working closely with industry to improve trader readiness and putting in place the National Supply Disruption Response to manage potential shortages. Further details can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/medicines-and-medical-products-supply-government-updates-no-deal-brexit-plansWe have been working closely with suppliers to monitor over 300 different epilepsy medicines provided by almost 50 companies and we are pleased to see many are holding stockpiles far beyond the six weeks’ additional buffer we requested. We also know that the vast majority of those suppliers with lower levels of stockpiles are taking action to re-route their supply chains away from the short straits crossings where applicable.

Twitter: Harassment

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effect on mental health of anonymous (a) abuse and (b) threats made on Twitter.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 8 October 2019 to Question 294115 on Children: Social Media, if he will make an assessment of the effect on children's mental health of anonymous (a) abuse and (b) threats made on Twitter.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We have no plans to make such assessment.

Dietary Supplements: Prescriptions

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 7 October 2019 to Question 292911 on Dietary Supplements: Expenditure, in what situations and to treat which illnesses are the probiotics listed in that Answer prescribed.

Jo Churchill: Prior to being delisted from Part XV of the Drug Tariff, VSL#3 and Vivomixx were approved by the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances (ACBS) and recommended for prescribing ‘For use under the supervision of a physician for the maintenance of antibiotic induced remission of ileoanal pouchitis in adults.’Symprove was never recommended for prescribing by the ACBS.

Health Services: North East

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department plans to make available to (a) healthcare in the North East of England, (b) healthcare in Sunderland and (c) the South Tyneside and Sunderland Hospital Trust in the next five years.

Edward Argar: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 21 October 2019.The correct answer should have been:

CCG allocations for North East of England are shown in the attached table. The North East of England is expected to receive more than the England average per head per year in every year from 2019/20 to 2023/24.In addition to the loans listed for Sunderland, the following trusts in the North East of England have secured capital loans:- Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust: £1million- North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust: £835,000- Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust: £210,000 and £112,000- Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust: £468,000- The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: £500,000On 5 August, the Government announced a further £1.8 billion increase to National Health Service capital spending. £1 billion of this funding will free up the NHS to take forward and expand their existing plans for investment in infrastructure and unlocking delivery of commitments already made; whilst £850 million of this increase allows 20 new hospital upgrades to start as soon as possible, including £41.6 million to Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for the transfer of Paediatric Cardiac Services from Freeman Hospital to Royal Victoria Infirmary.In addition, as the Secretary of State recently set out, a new Health Infrastructure Plan will be brought forward to deliver a strategic major hospital rebuilding programme, providing the necessary health infrastructure across the country.NHS Sunderland CCG’s allocations are shown in the attached table. By 2023-24, it will receive £1883.97 per head per year - £380.04 per head per year above the England average.As part of the tranche 4 STP funding Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust will receive £54.2 million for a single integrated secure service centre of excellence and the re-provision of Newcastle and Gateshead adult acute inpatient services.In 2019/20 South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust was allocated £2million Public Dividend Capital for GDE Fast Follower scheme.The trust’s predecessor, City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust also secured a £887,000 Public Dividend Capital award as part of a national programme for Energy Efficient LED Lighting.The Department are also aware of a likely award of Public Dividend Capital relating to Urgent and Emergency Care Services provision which is in the process of being allocated and there are a number of on-going capital funding programmes which the trust may be considering applications for.



PQ607 CCG allocations
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Edward Argar: CCG allocations for North East of England are shown in the attached table. The North East of England is expected to receive more than the England average per head per year in every year from 2019/20 to 2023/24.In addition to the loans listed for Sunderland, the following trusts in the North East of England have secured capital loans:- Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust: £1million- North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust: £835,000- Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust: £210,000 and £112,000- Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust: £468,000- The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: £500,000On 5 August, the Government announced a further £1.8 billion increase to National Health Service capital spending. £1 billion of this funding will free up the NHS to take forward and expand their existing plans for investment in infrastructure and unlocking delivery of commitments already made; whilst £850 million of this increase allows 20 new hospital upgrades to start as soon as possible, including £41.6 million to Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for the transfer of Paediatric Cardiac Services from Freeman Hospital to Royal Victoria Infirmary.In addition, as the Secretary of State recently set out, a new Health Infrastructure Plan will be brought forward to deliver a strategic major hospital rebuilding programme, providing the necessary health infrastructure across the country.NHS Sunderland CCG’s allocations are shown in the attached table. By 2023-24, it will receive £1883.97 per head per year - £380.04 per head per year above the England average.As part of the tranche 4 STP funding Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust will receive £54.2 million for a single integrated secure service centre of excellence and the re-provision of Newcastle and Gateshead adult acute inpatient services.In 2019/20 South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust was allocated £2million Public Dividend Capital for GDE Fast Follower scheme.The trust’s predecessor, City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust also secured a £887,000 Public Dividend Capital award as part of a national programme for Energy Efficient LED Lighting.The Department are also aware of a likely award of Public Dividend Capital relating to Urgent and Emergency Care Services provision which is in the process of being allocated and there are a number of on-going capital funding programmes which the trust may be considering applications for.



PQ607 CCG allocations
(Excel SpreadSheet, 20.03 KB)

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust: Infrastructure

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to make funding available to South Tyneside and Sunderland Hospital Trust  for infrastructure expenditure.

Edward Argar: The Government has recognised the need for further capital investment in the National Health Service. Over summer 2019 we announced a £1.8 billion increase to NHS capital spending (including £850 million for 20 more hospital upgrades), £200 million for new diagnostic screening equipment and more recently an initial £2.8 billion investment in new hospital schemes. This is all additional to the £3.9 billion extra capital funding announced at the 2017 Spring and Autumn Budgets. Whilst South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust was not selected for this round of funding, the Government has recently provided significant investment in the North East. Notably, £41.7 million to Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for the transfer of Paediatric Cardiac Services from Freeman Hospital to Royal Victoria Infirmary, and £54.2 million to Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust for a single integrated secure service centre of excellence and the re-provision of Newcastle and Gateshead adult acute inpatient services. In 2019/20 South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust was allocated £2 million of Public Dividend Capital for GDE Fast Follower scheme, and the Trust’s predecessor City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust also secured a £887,000 Public Dividend Capital award as part of a national programme for Energy Efficient LED Lighting. Looking ahead, the Government has just launched a new Health Infrastructure Plan, that will deliver a long-term, rolling five-year programme of investment in health infrastructure. The final shape of this investment programme will be confirmed when the Department receives a new multi-year capital settlement at the next capital review. We encourage all NHS providers to continue developing their schemes and discussing their proposals with the regional NHS England and NHS Improvement team, to help them be ready for future opportunities.

Lisdexamfetamine

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the supply of Lisdexamphetamine.

Jo Churchill: The Department fully understands that maintaining access to lisdexamphentamine is vitally important to many people in this country.Takeda who market lisdexamphetamine under the brand Elvanse have advised that there were temporary supply issues affecting the Elvanse Adult presentation during September. However, they were able to substitute with an equivalent Elvanse presentation during this time to ensure patients were maintained on treatment. The supply issues are now fully resolved and supplies of all presentations of lisdexamphetamine are currently available in quantities sufficient to meet normal demand.

Lisdexamfetamine

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure there will be an adequate supply of Lisdexamphetamine in the event of the UK’s departure from the EU on 31 October 2019 without a deal.

Edward Argar: The Department, as part of our EU exit preparations, is implementing a multi-layered approach to mitigate potential disruption to supply, which consists of stockpiling where possible, securing freight capacity, changing or clarifying regulatory requirements, procuring additional warehousing, working closely with industry to improve trader readiness and putting in place the National Supply Disruption Response to manage potential shortages. Further details can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/medicines-and-medical-products-supply-government-updates-no-deal-brexit-plans.We were advised of a temporary supply issue affecting the Elvanse Adult presentation during September. However, this issue is now fully resolved and supplies of all presentations of lisdexamphetamine are currently available in quantities sufficient to meet normal demand.

Agomelatine

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the supply of Agomelatine.

Jo Churchill: The Department fully understands that maintaining access to agomelatine for the management of major depression is vitally important to many people in this country.We are aware that Teva a supplier of generic agomelatine 25mg tablets discontinued supplies in July 2019. However, we can confirm that supplies of agomelatine 25mg tablets are currently available from several other suppliers in volumes that are sufficient to meet normal United Kingdom demand. All patients who require agomelatine should be able to obtain a supply from their pharmacy.We continue to work closely with industry and partners in the health system to help prevent shortages and to ensure that the risks to patients are minimised when supply issues do arise.

Sexually Transmitted Infections: Haringey

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce rates of sexually transmitted infections in Haringey.

Jo Churchill: We would encourage people to practice safe sex by using condoms and to access their free, local sexual health services if they consider themselves to be at risk of infection. Local authorities have been mandated to commission comprehensive open access sexual health services and are best placed to understand and meet the public health needs of their local communities.Data published by Public Health England show that more people are accessing sexual health services, with attendances increasing by 7% between 2017 and 2018. This continues the trend of increases in attendances seen over the past five years. To help manage the overall increase in demand, online services are increasingly being commissioning to manage lower risk and asymptomatic patients. These services also have the potential to reach groups not currently engaged with clinic services.

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to review its sexual health policy to reduce rates of sexually transmitted infections.

Jo Churchill: The development of a national sexual health strategy is a key recommendation in the Health and Social Care Select Committee’s report on sexual health, which was published on 2 June 2019. The Government is currently considering the report’s recommendations and will publish a formal response shortly. In the Green Paper consultation ‘Advancing Our Health – Prevention in the 2020s’, we sought views on priorities for a possible new strategy and will consider the responses carefully.

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS Trusts participating in the field test programme for the elective care standards proposed in the interim review of clinically-led access standards will be required to report compliance against the existing 18 week referral to treatment standard once the pilot period has ended.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS Trusts participating in the field test programme for the elective care standards proposed in the interim review of clinically-led access standards will be penalised for failing to comply with contractual obligations regarding treatment within 18 weeks, once the pilot period has ended.

Edward Argar: Participating National Health Service trusts continue to report monthly performance data regardless of testing. During the period of field-testing (from August 2019), performance against the 18-week standard will not be calculated or published for these providers or affected clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to reflect the change in performance framework under which the commissioner requested services providers are operating. Data from these providers will still be used to calculate and publish performance against the 18-week standard at the regional and England level. The reporting arrangements for trusts following completion of the field-testing is dependent on the outcome of the testing and final recommendations made as part of the Clinical Review of Access Standards. Participating CCGs and providers are still required to follow 2019/20 Planning Guidance for managing improvements to elective care waiting times which are focused on reducing the size of the waiting list as a means to reducing patient waiting times. From April 2019, providers and commissioners will be fined £2,500 for each patient whose wait for treatment is more than 52 weeks. No other sanctions or penalties are in place.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Drugs

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the adequate supply of (a) Sertraline, (b) Quetiapine and (c) Venlafaxine for the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Edward Argar: The Department is doing everything appropriate to prepare for leaving the European Union. We want to reassure patients that our plans should ensure the uninterrupted supply of medicines and medical products, including those used for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, once we have left the EU.The Department, as part of our EU exit preparations, is implementing a multi-layered approach to mitigate potential disruption to supply, which consists of stockpiling where possible, securing freight capacity, changing or clarifying regulatory requirements, procuring additional warehousing, working closely with industry to improve trader readiness and putting in place the National Supply Disruption Response to manage potential shortages. Further details can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/medicines-and-medical-products-supply-government-updates-no-deal-brexit-plans

Antidepressants: Imports

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of anti-depressants used in the UK are imported from the EU; and what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of the supply of those medicines in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Edward Argar: The Department is doing everything appropriate to prepare for leaving the European Union. We want to reassure patients that our plans should ensure the uninterrupted supply of medicines and medical products, including those used for the treatment of depression, once we have left the EU.Companies have shared details of their no-deal EU exit contingency planning, including their supply chain routes, in confidence and it would not be appropriate for us to share this commercially sensitive information.The Department, as part of our EU exit preparations, is implementing a multi-layered approach to mitigate potential disruption to supply, which consists of stockpiling where possible, securing freight capacity, changing or clarifying regulatory requirements, procuring additional warehousing, working closely with industry to improve trader readiness and putting in place the National Supply Disruption Response to manage potential shortages. Further details can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/medicines-and-medical-products-supply-government-updates-no-deal-brexit-plans

Tourette's Syndrome: Health Services

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he is putting in place to (a) support people with Tourette’s syndrome and to (a) tackle the stigma associated with that condition.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department is committed to supporting people with neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions, including Tourette’s syndrome, to live healthy and independent lives, and to tackle the stigma associated with such conditions. We have established a Neurodiversity Unit to consider what additional actions can be taken to support those with neurodevelopmental conditions to ensure that their needs are met.

Vitamin D: Children

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to reduce vitamin D deficiency in children in primary and secondary schools in (a) the London borough of Southwark and (b) England.

Jo Churchill: Advice for children and those at increased risk of having low vitamin D levels, can be found on both GOV.UK and from the National Health Service at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/phe-publishes-new-advice-on-vitamin-d https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/ This advice is aimed at preventing vitamin D deficiency for the general population. Doctors may also investigate a patient’s vitamin or mineral status on an individual basis to correct deficiencies, which is a matter of clinical judgement.

Non-surgical Cosmetic Procedures: Children

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of (a) the number of under-18s who have had cosmetic fillers and Botox injections in the last year and (b) the cost to the NHS of correcting complications and mistakes involving those procedures; and if he will make it his policy to make it illegal for under-18s to be given injecting fillers.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department does not hold the information requested.The Government is committed to improving the safety of cosmetic procedures through better training for practitioners, and clear information so that people can make informed decisions about their care.The Department is working with stakeholders, including professional associations, to review industry standards of practice as part of the manifesto commitment to ensure there is “effective registration and regulation of those performing cosmetic interventions”. This work includes an assessment of the health risks and psychological impact of current access arrangements to injectable cosmetic procedures by children and young people.

Surgery: Standards

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England will take to record patient experience at trusts participating in the field test programme for the elective care standards proposed in the interim review of clinically-led access standards.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England will consult patients on changes to waiting time standards arising from the field test programme for the elective care standards proposed in the interim review of clinically-led access standards.

Edward Argar: From early August, 12 hospital trusts began testing the use of an average (mean) wait between being referred by a general practitioner and starting treatment for routine conditions. The testing will help the National Health Service to see whether keeping the focus on patients at all stages of their pathway can help to reduce long waits. As well as using the data from trial sites to assess whether the testing has met these criteria, there will be an evaluation of the testing which will consider the impact they have had in the following areas:- Patient safety;- Waiting times;- Process change;- Patient and public experience;- Clinical outcomes;- Variation in outcomes, experience and performance; and- Staff experience. As set out in the CRS interim report published in March, the NHS will hold a public consultation on the proposals. This will be informed by further evidence from field testing.

Influenza: Vaccination

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase uptake of the flu vaccine by social care staff.

Edward Argar: Flu vaccination is recommended for all frontline social care workers. This should be provided by their employer as part of the organisation’s policy for the prevention of the transmission of flu to help protect both staff and those that they care for. To help increase uptake rates for social care workers, NHS England and NHS Improvement have a scheme to complement employers responsibilities so that vaccination is also available for social care and hospice staff from their general practitioner or community pharmacy. For this coming winter, Public Heath England have developed brand new resources to encourage social care worker vaccination. These resources are available at the following link: https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/resources/campaigns/92-health-and-social-care-workers-flu-immunisation-/overview

Cancer: Screening

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to use technology to improve attendance at NHS cancer screenings.

Jo Churchill: The Department, NHS England and Public Health England (PHE) are committed to increasing the proportion of invites for National Health Service cancer screening appointments that are accepted, through increasing uptake and making appointments more accessible. NHS cancer screening programmes cover breast, bowel and cervical cancer.PHE’s ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ and ‘Cervical Screening Saves Lives’ campaigns use social media and online platforms to increase awareness of cancer symptoms and the importance of screening and thereby improve attendance at cancer screening appointments. The ‘Cervical Screening Saves Lives’ campaign encouraged women to respond to their cervical screening invitation letter, and if they missed their last screening, to book an appointment at their general practitioner practice. The campaign also provided practical information about how to make the test more comfortable, which could also improve attendance.In addition to this, Professor Richards’ review of national adult screening programmes, published on 16 October, made a number of recommendations on using technology to improve attendance. These recommendations included rolling-out text reminders nationally that have been successfully piloted at a local level and improving functionality of the screening IT systems to support improvements in uptake and coverage. The Department, NHS England and PHE will carefully consider the recommendations in Professor Richards’ report and publish an implementation plan in due course.

Health Visitors

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reverse the fall in the number of health visitors.

Jo Churchill: Since October 2015, local authorities have been responsible for the commissioning of services for zero to five-year olds and as such, they determine the required numbers of health visitors based upon local needs. A Specialist Community and Public Health Nurse apprenticeship (Level 7) is currently in development. This will offer an alternative route directly into the health visiting profession. There are also nursing apprenticeship pathways currently in place to become a Registered Nurse, following which an individual has the option to choose to complete a postgraduate course to go onto qualify as a health visitor. The interim People Plan, published in June 2019, sets out the vision for people who work in the National Health Service to enable them to deliver the long-term plan. There is also clear commitment to work with partners to identify how to support growth in the community workforce including district nursing, general practice nursing, health visitors and school nursing.

Early Years Ministerial Group on Family Support

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the status is of the cross-Government working group on family support from conception to age two years old; and when the report of that working group will be published.

Jo Churchill: The Inter-Ministerial Group on Early Years Family Support has concluded its work. The Government’s Prevention Green Paper ‘Advancing our health in the 2020s’ reflects the conclusions of the Group, that many long-term outcomes are improved by positive relationships between parents and infants from pregnancy onwards.

Social Services: Contracts

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance he has issued to local authorities on awarding social care contracts; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: Commissioning social care is a matter for local authorities who are best placed to understand the needs of local people and communities, and how to meet themThe Department supports local authorities to commission social care by funding a number of sector-led improvement activities. These are delivered in partnership with the Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and offer all local areas support in meeting the challenges of adult social care deliveryWe also fund the Social Care Institute for Excellence and Think Local, Act Personal to create best practice digital guidance about commissioning and to promote the principles of co-production and personalisation within social care commissioning.

Social Services: Fees and Charges

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department issues to local authorities on the level of fees charged by social care providers; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The Care Act 2014 placed duties on local authorities to shape their local markets so that there is an adequate supply of provision which ensures all adult social care service users have a choice of high-quality services. In the case of state-funded care, local authorities negotiate with care providers to achieve a balance of quality, effectiveness and value for money for the public purse.The level of fees charged to people who fund their own care is a private contractual matter.

General Practitioners: Standards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was for a GP appointment in each of the last five years.

Jo Churchill: Data on appointments in general practice have only been available since November 2017. The most recent data on the time between booking an appointment with a general practice and having the appointment (in days) for England are presented in the table below as the average over the 12 months from September 2018 to August 2019.The data is taken from the NHS Digital publication ‘Appointments in General Practice’. This is a new experimental data collection which is still being refined and improved.It should be noted that the ‘time from booking to appointment’ refers only to the time elapsed between the successful booking of an appointment and the appointment actually taking place. The data does not take into consideration that many patients will be appropriately booking ahead as part of the continuity of care they receive for long-term conditions.-England-Distribution of average time elapsed between booking an appointment and the appointment taking place, September 2018 to August 2019. (Number may not add to 100% due to rounding.)Same Day42%1 Day7%2 to 7 Days20%8 to 14 Days14%15 to 21 Days8%22 to 28 Days5%More than 28 Days5%Total100.0% - Data Quality Notes- There are several factors that drive the time from a booking to an appointment. This includes appointment availability at the practice, patient availability, the urgency of the appointment and GP advice.- The data does not differentiate between emergency and routine appointments in general practice.- The data does not include any information about the patients or clinical information- The data in the response includes appointments with all healthcare professional types, including GPs and other practice staff.- Not all practices in England are included in the appointments in general practice publication, meaning the total number of appointments is not known.- Same day and next day bookings are of particular interest so are presented here separately. Further bookings are presented grouped by weeks.- The number of appointments that have already happened is provided as recorded in participating practices in England. The data presented only contains information which was captured on the GP practice systems. This limits the activity reported on and does not represent all work happening within a primary care setting.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients were waiting for a diagnostic test in NHS Trusts on 31 March in each year from 2011 to 2019.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of patients waited more than six weeks for an endoscopy test in each year since 2010.

Edward Argar: The following table shows the number and percentage of patients waiting over six weeks for an endoscopy test in March of each year from 2010 and the number of patients waiting for a diagnostic test in March of each year from 2011:YearNumbers waiting 6+ weeks for an endoscopy testPercentage waiting 6+ weeks for an endoscopy testNumbers waiting for a diagnostic testMarch 20101,3911.7%N/AMarch 20114,0084.6%575,638March 20122,2652.5%625,054March 20132,3322.7%677,731March 20142,6362.8%789,392March 20157,0046.0%842,263March 20166,0865.6%876,329March 20173,1812.9%943,010March 20185,6855.3%979,831March 20199,1787.5%1,071,744   NHS England collects and publishes waiting times performance data for all diagnostic tests on a monthly basis. This is available at a trust and national level via the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were on the national elective waiting list on 31 March in each year from 2011 to 2019.

Edward Argar: The number of patients on the consultant-led Referral-to-treatment (RTT) waiting list at the end of March in each year from 2011 to 2019 is shown in the following table:YearNumbers waitingMarch 20112.46 millionMarch 20122.41 millionMarch 20132.66 millionMarch 20142.91 millionMarch 20153.01 millionMarch 20163.50 millionMarch 20173.73 millionMarch 20183.85 millionMarch 20194.23 million NHS England publishes performance data on a monthly basis, including the current waiting times for RTT as well as the size of the waiting list. This is available via the link in the following table:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/

Accident and Emergency Departments: Standards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of patients were seen within four hours in A&E in (a) 2018-19 and (b) each year since 2010.

Edward Argar: NHS Digital and NHS England publish annual accident and emergency (A&E) activity in National Health Service hospitals at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/hospital-accident--emergency-activity/2018-19The percentage of patient attendances spending four hours or less in A&E, 2009-10 to 2018-19 can be found in the following table.  -% 4 Hours or Less2009-1098.3%2010-1197.4%2011-1296.6%2012-1395.9%2013-1495.7%2014-1593.6%2015-1691.9%2016-1789.1%2017-1888.3%2018-1988.0%  Source: NHS England and NHS Digital

Twitter: Harassment

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effect of anonymous (a) abuse and (b) threats made on Twitter on teenage mental health.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We have no current plans to make such formal assessment.

Clinical Commissioning Groups: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to make clinical commissioning groups in north-west London financially sustainable; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: Backed by the Government’s funding commitment for the National Health Service - £33.9 billion a year more by 2023-24 - a new strategy has been developed to take the health system forward: the NHS Long Term Plan.In the NHS Long Term Plan, the NHS has committed to meeting the Government’s financial test that the NHS will deliver overall financial balance in every year, and that all NHS organisations will be in balance by 2023-24.A new financial framework that is better able to support and encourage the health system to develop in a more sustainable way with a rebalancing of its finances forms part of this plan.

Mount Vernon Hospital Northwood: Cancer

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken since the July 2019 publication of the Clinical Advisory Panel's review of cancer services at Mount Vernon; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: Since the publication of the Clinical Advisory Panel’s review of cancer services at Mount Vernon, the following has taken place:Discussions are ongoing with specialist tertiary cancer providers inside and outside of London who could potentially take on the management of this service.Existing clinical leaders at Mount Vernon have increased their leadership duties at the hospital alongside their clinical responsibilities. Recruitment of a full-time clinical director will take place in conjunction with the new provider once they are appointed.A business case to appoint additional staff to the Acute Oncology service was developed and submitted to NHS England. This has been approved and recruitment has begun.Revised admission criteria and policy and a revised patient transfer policy have been developed and implemented. Daily consultant ward rounds are now in place. Regular review of transferred patient treatment and outcomes is underway and is now reported to NHS England along with other measures and reviewed jointly by the Trust and NHS England. A proposal for an enhanced 7 day a week consultant model and robust outreach medical Acute Oncology Service provision has been developed and is being considered this month.Work is going on to confirm the radiotherapy equipment replacement programme for 2020/21 and 2021/22, with options for capital funding being investigated. ENH and Hillingdon Hospitals are meeting regularly to review and prioritise backlog maintenance within the envelope of available funding. Progress is reported monthly to NHS England. Since July there has been a whole area upgrade of the clock tower area, a project has started on refurbishment of the lifts, fire compartmentalisation has taken place and a project has started on backlog decoration including MVCC outpatients. Challenges remain around sourcing capital funding for backlog maintenance and long-term solutions for the service.

Maudsley Hospital: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients referred to the Michael Rutter centre for obsessive–compulsive disorder at the Maudsley Hospital from each (a) nation and (b) region of the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The information is not collected centrally.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) adults and (b) children who suffer with obsessive compulsive disorder in each (i) nation and (ii) region of the UK.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Information on the prevalence of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) among adults and children and young people in England is shown in the following tables. This information is not available at regional level. Information on the prevalence of OCD in the other nations of the United Kingdom is a matter for the devolved administrations. OCD prevalence in adults in England (aged 16-74) 1 1993 %2000 %2007 %2014 %Men1.01.01.11.3Women1.81.51.51.9All adults1.41.21.31.6Source: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) 2014, NHS DigitalNote: 1 16-64 for 1993; 16-74 for 2000 onwards OCD prevalence in children and young people in England 2017.Age groups5-10 year olds %11-16 year olds %17-19 year olds %All %All   Any emotional disorder4.19.014.98.1Obsessive compulsive disorder0.10.70.70.4BoysAny emotional disorder4.67.17.96.2Obsessive compulsive disorder0.10.70.70.5GirlsAny emotional disorder3.610.922.410.0Obsessive compulsive disorder0.10.60.70.4Source: Mental Health of Children and Young People Survey, NHS Digital

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Mental Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which clinical commissioning groups in England have implemented the NICE guidelines for obsessive compulsive disorder.

Ms Nadine Dorries: This information is not collected centrally.Clinical commissioning groups and providers of healthcare are expected to have regard to national guidance and are responsible for developing their own local approaches to its implementation taking into account local priorities and needs.

Department of Health and Social Care: Databases

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 7 October to Question 293726, how many meetings Ministers or officials in his Department have held with Ministers or officials in the Cabinet Office on the National Data Strategy since that strategy was announced.

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 7 October 2019 to Question 293726, how many meetings there have been between officials in his Department and officials in the Cabinet Office on the National Data Strategy over the last 12 months.

Ms Nadine Dorries: There have been no specific meetings between ministers or officials in the Department of Health and Social Care and the Cabinet Office on the National Data Strategy as this is led by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. We have identified at least 12 meetings attended by officials from both the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the National Data Strategy since the strategy was announced in June 2018.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Public Appointments

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what cognisance NHS Improvement took of the oral contribution of the Minister for Health of 27 June 2018, Official Report, column 1002, on irregularities of process that had taken place including at NHS Improvement in respect of the appointment process for the Chair of the Blackpool Trust, Pearse Butler, when NHS Improvement provided advice to that Trust on the permanent appointment of Kevin McGee as the Chief Executive of that Trust and to operate as Chief Executive of both the Blackpool Trust and the East Lancashire Hospitals Trust between June 2019 and September 2019.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Kevin McGee will receive fill-time salaries for his each of his positions as Chief Executive of Blackpool Trust and East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

Edward Argar: There were a number of issues raised around the appointment process for the Chair of the Blackpool Trust on 27 June 2018. National Health Service foundation trusts operate within a clear accountability framework. It is for the governors of a foundation trust to appoint the chair. NHS Improvement is not involved in the recruitment of chairs of foundation trusts unless there is a breach of the licence. In the appointment of the Chair of Blackpool Trust the Chief Executive voluntarily stood down from all of the interview process prior to the appointment. The appointment of a Chief Executive in an NHS foundation trust is the responsibility of the trust’s non-executive directors, including the chair, with approval from the Trust’s council of governors Where trusts are facing challenges, it is right that NHS Improvement provides support and this can sometimes come in the form of shared leadership with nearby organisations.The arrangement that has been put in place for Blackpool is designed to deliver a number of benefits including:- enhanced quality of care;- financial sustainability; and- improved performance. The Chief Executive of Blackpool NHS Trust and East Lancashire NHS Trust, Mr McGee will be paid a single salary. The process for agreeing the remuneration of the chief executive involves the agreement by the remuneration committees of each trust, in line with the organisational corporate governance procedures. The remuneration is in line with the NHS Improvement regulatory guidance on Very Senior Manager pay and was also approved by the Department in June 2019.

Epidemiology: Paediatrics

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the research by the University of Bristol published on 16 September 2019 in Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology; and whether he plans update his Department's guidance as a result of that research.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continuously monitors the safety of all medicines on the market in the United Kingdom. Following a recent European review of the available epidemiological data on the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders with use of paracetamol in pregnancy, the product information for paracetamol is already being updated to reflect the findings.The MHRA has sought independent advice from its expert committees on this latest study which found an increased risk of neurocognitive effects in children born to women who took paracetamol during pregnancy. The expert committees advised that the new study adds to the existing body of evidence but does not provide any further insight into a possible causal association between in utero exposure to paracetamol and neurodevelopmental outcomes.Patients should be advised that if necessary, paracetamol can be used during pregnancy. However, it should be used at the lowest possible dose that reduces symptoms and for the shortest time possible.Pregnant women should speak to their doctor or midwife before taking any medicine, including paracetamol.

Department for International Development

Uganda: Homosexuality

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking with regard to its aid programme for Uganda in light of the recent decision by the Ugandan Government to reintroduce a bill that imposes the death penalty on homosexuals.

Andrew Stephenson: We are fundamentally opposed to all forms of discrimination and work to uphold the rights and freedoms of LGBT people in all circumstances. We note that a Ugandan Government spokesperson confirmed they do not intend to introduce new anti-homosexuality laws and we continue to follow closely any developments related to the death penalty.

Developing Countries: Maternal Mortality

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the effect of UK overseas development assistance on levels of maternal mortality in the last 10 years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The global Maternal Mortality Ratio has declined on average by 2.9% every year since 2000. More specifically, this ratio reduced from 274 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2007 to 211 in 2017. This result is due to countries’ own investments as well as those from the entire development community, to which DFID is a major contributor. Using internationally agreed methods, we estimate that DFID has spent approximately £1 billion per year on reproductive, maternal newborn and child health between 2013/14 – 2016/17. DFID has contributed to reduced maternal mortality through our bilateral and central health programmes that focus on strengthening health systems (e.g. through health worker training, drugs and equipment). We also support the development of global and national policies. We have led the world on increasing access to family planning and remain a champion on these issues. We recently announced a renewed commitment to end preventable deaths of mothers and newborns by 2030.

Developing Countries: Contraceptives

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the effect of UK overseas development assistance on levels of contraception prevalence in the last 10 years.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the effect of UK overseas development assistance on reducing adolescent birth rates in the last 10 years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: In 2019, the modern contraceptive prevalence rate among all women of reproductive age in the 69 Family Planning 2020 movement focus countries was 34.8%, compared to 32.5% in 2012. This represent 46 million additional users of modern methods of family planning – of which we estimate 13.2 million has been reached by DFID programmes, with rapid increases in Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, Lesotho, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Chad – relative to what was expected in 2012. Global adolescent fertility rates have reduced from 48 births per 1,000 adolescent girls in 2007, to 42 births per 1,000 adolescent girls in 2017. These results are due to countries’ own investments as well as investments from the entire development community. The UK leads the world in our long-term support for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including for family planning. At UNGA this September, the Secretary of State reiterated our commitment to SRHR and announced a new £600m Reproductive Health Supplies programme running from 2020 to 2025, that will give over 20 million women and girls access to family planning per year. We are the second largest bilateral donor for family planning in developing countries and work through our country level and central programmes. These programmes provide access to family planning services, support an increase in demand for contraception and help countries to develop their own programmes. We have also led global family planning advocacy networks such as FP2020. At the Family Planning Summit in 2017, we committed to increasing the focus on reaching adolescents in our programmes.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what humanitarian assistance his Department is providing to civilians as a result of Turkey’s military action in the Kurdish controlled territory of northern Syria.

Dr Andrew Murrison: We are monitoring the situation in northern Syria very closely and the Secretary of State has been in touch with Sir Mark Lowcock, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, and other UN officials. We have allocated £40 million this financial year for our NGO and UN partners operating in Northeast Syria. Our funding is focused on providing vital food, water, shelter and healthcare. We have been in close dialogue with our partners to ensure that they have the flexibility to utilise this funding to meet immediate needs arising from the current military action in the region. We are assured that they do, but we will work closely with other UK Departments to keep this under review, given the fluidity of the situation on the ground and the significant access constraints for humanitarian actors on the ground.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the effect of Turkey’s recent military action in northern Syria on the humanitarian situation in that region.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The situation in Northeast Syria remains very fluid, and we are continually adjusting our assessment of the current impact on the humanitarian situation in the region at this stage. Prior to the recent military action, there were already 1.65 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in the region. The UN reports at least 160,000 people have been displaced since the Turkish military action began, including at least 70,000 children. Critical civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, has also been affected by the conflict. The ongoing military action on the ground is also impacting the humanitarian response. Many NGOs have already had to withdraw staff, and some have suspended activities altogether. This is very concerning, and we are in close discussion with our NGO partners and the UN.

Syria: Military Intervention

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate he has made of the number of civilians (a) killed, (b) injured and (c) displaced as result of Turkey’s recent military action in the Kurdish controlled territory of northern Syria.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The situation in Northeast Syria remains very fluid. As of 17 October, the UN estimates that at least 160,000 people have been displaced in Northeast Syria since Turkish military action began a week ago, including at least 70,000 children, and 42 civilian deaths.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what humanitarian assistance his Department plans to offer to the Kurdistan Regional Government as a result of Turkey’s recent military action in the Kurdish controlled territory of northern Syria.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UN estimates that 160,000 civilians have been internally displaced in Northeast Syria due to Turkey’s recent military action. An estimated 1,500 people have crossed the border into Iraq which is already hosting 229,000 refugees. Those that have arrived in Iraq have been registered and assisted by the Kurdistan Regional Government and the UN Refugee Agency. The Secretary of State has been in touch with Sir Mark Lowcock, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, and the UK is closely monitoring potential humanitarian impacts on Iraq. There are currently resources in place to respond, but we stand ready to assist should there be a significant deterioration in the situation.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with his UN Refugee Agency counterparts on the humanitarian situation in the Kurdish controlled territory in northern Syria.

Dr Andrew Murrison: DFID officials are in daily contact with the UN, other Government departments, and other delivery partners regarding the emerging situation in Northeast Syria. I spoke with the UN Refugee Agency last week to discuss the situation on the ground and the Secretary of State has also been in touch with Sir Mark Lowcock, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, and other UN officials.

Rwanda: Nutrition

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he is taking to integrate nutrition into his Department's programmes in Rwanda; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stephenson: Tackling malnutrition is an important part of the Department for International Development’s work in Rwanda. It is delivered through nutrition-specific interventions in programmes on early childhood development and stunting. It is also integrated into broader interventions such as those on agriculture and social protection, for example through nutrition and child sensitive cash transfers and investment in fortified foods. A new research programme will generate evidence on what works to strengthen nutrition service delivery at scale. DFID’s support for nutrition in Rwanda over the last three years has reached 560,000 children under five (180,000 of whom are children under two) and 1.1 million women of reproductive age (of whom 680,000 are pregnant or lactating women).

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Yemen.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Yemen remains the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with nearly 80% of the entire population, over 24 million people, requiring some form of humanitarian assistance. More than 20 million people in Yemen do not have reliable access to food and almost 10 million people face extreme food shortages. The UK is providing £200 million in response to this humanitarian crisis this financial year, bringing the total UK commitment to Yemen to £770 million since the conflict began in 2015. This support is meeting the immediate food needs of more than 1 million Yemenis each month, treating 70,000 children for malnutrition and providing over 1 million people with improved water supply and basic sanitation. We are clear that a political settlement is the only way to fully address the humanitarian crisis and we encourage further constructive engagement from all parties to achieve this.

Burma: Rohingya

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Answer of 4 March 2019 to Question 226730 on Burma: Human Trafficking, what assurances he has received from his Burmese counterpart that the upgrades to the women and children health ward at Sittwe General Hospital in Burma will also be beneficial to the Rohingya community.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Answer of 4 March 2019 to Question 226730 on Burma: Human Trafficking, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Ministry of Health in Burma on reported apartheid practices at Sittwe General Hospital in that country.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Health access is a problem across all of Rakhine State. Through the Access to Health Fund, the UK provides funding to improve healthcare at the community level across Rakhine. The extension and refurbishment work at Sittwe Hospital is helping to ensure that hospital access and referral networks better serve the Rohingya. Visiting Myanmar, Baroness Sugg met with the Rakhine State Health Director and the Union Minister of Health and Sport and emphasised the need for equal access to health treatment for all in accordance with the Rakhine Advisory Commission recommendations.

Department for International Development: Energy Supply

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question 290329 on Department for International Development: Energy Supply and to the Answer on 1 October 2019 to Question 290324 on Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Energy Supply, if he will introduce the same policy as the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and switch to an electricity provider that supplies electricity solely from renewable resources within the next 12 months; and for what reason his Department has not already ensured its electricity is supplied solely from renewable resources.

Dr Andrew Murrison: DFID’s UK estate comprises two joint-headquarters, 22 Whitehall in London and Abercrombie House in Glasgow. DFID’s current energy supplier for both offices are EDF Energy for electricity. DFID’s energy is contracted via the Cabinet Office’s Crown Commercial Service Framework. DFID intends to take advantage of renewable energy options under the new Crown Commercial Service Framework when putting in place new energy supply arrangements. As highlighted in DFID’s 2018-19 Annual Report and Accounts (link), DFID has a strong record of improving environmental performance and is working towards meeting the Greening Government Commitment targets (link) in the UK by end of financial year 2019-20.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian effect of the escalation of military activity in Northern Syria; and what steps his Department is taking to help alleviate the humanitarian situation in that region.

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access for humanitarian supplies in Northern Syria after the recent escalation of military activity in that region; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure humanitarian support is provided to people in that region.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The situation in Northeast Syria remains very fluid, and we are continually adjusting our assessment of the current impact on the humanitarian situation in the region at this stage. The ongoing military action on the ground is having an impact on the humanitarian response. Many NGOs have already had to withdraw staff, and some have suspended activities altogether. This is very concerning, and we are discussing closely with our NGO partners and the UN. The Secretary of State has been in touch with Sir Mark Lowcock, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, and other UN officials. We have allocated £40 million this financial year for our NGO and UN partners operating in Northeast Syria. Our funding is focused on providing vital food, water, shelter and healthcare. We have been in close dialogue with our partners to ensure that they have the flexibility to utilise this funding to meet immediate needs arising from the current military action in the region. We are assured that they do, but will keep this under review, given the fluidity of the situation and the significant access constraints for humanitarian actors on the ground.

Department for Education

Holiday Activities and Food Research Fund

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his 8 May 2019 press release entitled Free meals and activities for 50,000 children over 2019 summer holidays, how much funding he plans to allocate to such projects in summer 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Michelle Donelan: This year we invested £9 million to set up local holiday activity and food coordinators in 11 local authority areas, including Newcastle upon Tyne. This was a considerable increase on the £2 million funding for provision in 2018. These 11 coordinators were responsible for funding and overseeing free holiday clubs, so that disadvantaged children in the chosen areas benefitted from high quality provision during the summer holiday.We continue to build our understanding of how free provision can be coordinated, providing valuable information about what works in supporting this sector. We will set out our plans for 2020 later in the autumn.

Holiday Activities and Food Research Fund: North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his 8 May 2019 press release entitled Free meals and activities for 50,000 children over 2019 summer holidays, how many unsuccessful bids for that funding were made by organisations based in the North East; what the value of those unsuccessful bids was; and what feedback his Department has given to organisations that made unsuccessful bids.

Michelle Donelan: This year we received 13 bids from organisations in the North East for the Holiday Activities and Food programme funding. Of the 11 organisations selected for funding, 2 were based in the North East and more than £1.2 million was allocated to Street Games in Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead Local Authority.The value of the 11 unsuccessful bids from organisations in the North East was £5,625,109.45.All of the unsuccessful organisations who requested feedback were provided with this in writing.

Department for Education: Brexit

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of St Helens Council on preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Nick Gibb: Local Government plays a vital role in preparing the country to be fully ready for the UK to exit the EU on 31 October 2019.The Department has stepped up their preparedness significantly and speaks regularly to councils and partners, including through the Local Government Brexit Delivery Board and a network of nine regional chief executives. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government leads this engagement.Every council has designated a Brexit Lead Officer to work with central Government to intensify their local preparations and, in total, the Department has made £77 million available to help local areas get ready for the UK to exit the EU.Whilst the Department has not had any meetings with St Helens Council regarding preparations for the UK exiting the EU, the Department has issued advice to local authorities’ children’s services on how to prepare for the UK to exit the EU. This guidance is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-exit-no-deal-preparations-for-local-authority-childrens-services-in-england.

Schools: Gardens

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department holds on the number of schools with gardens.

Nick Gibb: ​The Department does not hold information on the number of schools with gardens. Responsible bodies such as local authorities, academy trusts and diocesan bodies are best placed to answer questions on the numbers of their schools with gardens.

Schools: Asbestos

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if will he take steps to ensure that all (a) school staff and (b) parents are informed about the (i) location and (ii) management plan for asbestos in school buildings.

Nick Gibb: The Department takes the health and safety of staff and pupils very seriously. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the regulator on managing asbestos and provides expert technical advice to the department on how the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR) and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA) should apply to schools. The Department has published guidance for schools and responsible bodies to help them understand their obligations and duties in relation to asbestos management in schools. Employers are responsible under the HSWA to protect their employees at work. In schools and colleges, the HSWA also requires that pupils and visitors are protected from harm to their health and safety from known or foreseeable risks. HSWA also requires employers to consult with employees, including the trade union health and safety representative, on all matters that affect their health and safety, including asbestos management and the risks they may be exposed to.The CAR also requires that there is an asbestos management plan for the school. The Department is currently working with stakeholders – including the HSE and Joint Union Asbestos Committee – to update the current guidance for schools on effective management of asbestos, including how plans should be communicated. We plan to publish this guidance early next year.

Teachers: Pay Settlements

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 7 October to Question 293690 on Teachers: Pay Settlements, from which of his Department's 2019-20 budgets the £105 million was reprioritised; and which of his Department's forecasts have been adjusted with the result that there is additional headroom funding.

Nick Gibb: There have been changes in forecasts due to updated school population and funding data, which has resulted in additional headroom in the schools budget. This has been reinvested through the Teachers’ Pay Grant.

Free Schools

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the schools approved in Wave (a) 9, (b) 10, (c) 11, (d) 12 and (e) 13 of the free schools programme are (i) under construction and (ii) open.

Nick Gibb: Since 2010, the Government has funded thousands of good new school places across the country through the free schools programme. The programme aims to kick-start wider improvement, inject fresh approaches and draw in talent from a variety of backgrounds.As at 1 October 2019, there are 507 open free schools, 48 university technical colleges and 24 studio schools, which will provide over 320,000 places when at capacity. The attached table contains the information requested.The length of time it takes to identify, acquire and adapt the right site can sometimes mean that it is necessary for a school to open in temporary accommodation to meet the need for school places in the local area. As such, a free school can open whilst works are taking place on the permanent site.Where we have had concerns over the long-term success and viability of a proposed school, we have taken swift and decisive action to cancel the project. On occasion, a trust will decide to withdraw a project before the proposed school opens. The primary objective of the Department in all cases is to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for local pupils and to secure value for money for the taxpayer.



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Schools: Construction

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools built under (a) the Consortium of Local Authorities Special Programme (CLASP) and (b) the Second Consortium of Local Authority (SCOLA) building programmes are (i) primary schools and (ii) secondary schools.

Nick Gibb: ​The department’s new school Condition Data Collection (CDC), due to complete this year, will provide a high-level assessment of the make-up and condition of state funded schools in England, and help inform future capital funding policy.The department has issued information and guidance on the purpose, benefits and limitations of the CDC, which has been attached and can be viewed at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652218/Condition_Data_Collection_CDC_Purpose_Benefit__and_Limitations.pdf.

Pupil Premium: Pre-school Education

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) number and (b) proportion of children eligible for the early years pupil premium attend a maintained nursery school in each (i) region and (ii) local authority area in each of the last three years.

Nick Gibb: The attached table shows the number and percentage of 3 and 4 year old children in receipt of early years pupil premium. Regarding children eligible for early years pupil premium, the information requested is not held centrally.



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Pre-school Education: Finance

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) number and (b) proportion of nursery schools in each (i) region and (ii) local authority area in budget deficit.

Nick Gibb: The Department publishes the income and expenditure, including revenue balances, annually for local authority maintained schools and for academies. The attached table gives the requested breakdown.Schools’ Consistent Financial Reporting and Academies’ Accounting Returns are published here: https://schools-financial-benchmarking.service.gov.uk/.



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Pre-school Education: Finance

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much supplementary funding each maintained nursery school has received in the current financial year.

Nick Gibb: Local authorities receive funding from central government for delivering the early years entitlements through the Dedicated Schools Grant. Local authorities are then responsible for deciding how they fund individual early years providers, including maintained nursery schools.Our provisional allocations to local authorities in respect of the Maintained Nursery School supplementary funding for the financial year 2019-20 are available in the 2019-20 Dedicated Schools Grant allocations table on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2019-to-2020.Final allocations for 2019-20 will be made in the summer of 2020.

Special Educational Needs: Pre-school Education

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children with SEND attend each maintained nursery school.

Michelle Donelan: The National Statistics release, ‘Special educational needs in England’, includes information on the number of children with special educational needs (SEN) attending each maintained nursery school.The latest release is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2019.In the document titled ‘Underlying data: Special educational needs in England - January 2019’, the number of pupils with SEN support and the number of pupils with an education, health and care plan are presented for each school in England.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children who access 30 hours of funded childcare attend a maintained nursery school in each (a) region and (b) local authority area.

Nick Gibb: The number of children benefiting from extended funded early education places by type of provider, region and local authority is available within Table 3LA on the GOV.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/education-provision-children-under-5-years-of-age-january-2019.

Schools: Asbestos

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to remove all asbestos from schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department follows expert advice from the Health and Safety Executive regulator that when asbestos-containing materials are undamaged, and not in locations where they are vulnerable to damage, they should be left undisturbed and their condition monitored. Blanket or accelerated removal of asbestos could potentially be dangerous, as it releases harmful fibres that would otherwise be contained.The amount of asbestos in schools will reduce over time through rebuilding and refurbishment of the estate. When asbestos cannot be effectively managed in situ, it should be removed and the Department will provide condition funding which can be used to manage asbestos safely.Since 2015, the Department has allocated over £7.4 billion to those responsible for school buildings for essential maintenance, including removing or encapsulating asbestos when it is the safest course of action to do so.Through the Priority School Building Programme, the Department is rebuilding or refurbishing buildings in the worst condition at over 500 schools across the country. Asbestos was a factor in prioritising buildings for the programme.

Private Education

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 25 September 2019, Official Report, column 780, what the evidential basis is for the fiscal assessment that abolishing fee-paying schools would cost the public purse £7 billion.

Nick Gibb: This is not a fiscal assessment by the Government but is drawn from an independent report by Oxford Economics in 2018 that analyses a number of factors. Amongst its findings are that independent schools in the UK save the taxpayer £3.5 billion every year by providing places for pupils who could otherwise be expected to take up a place in the state-funded sector.In addition, the report found that the schools belonging to the ISC’s member associations generated £3.5 billion in annual tax revenues. The report also found that, overall, the schools contributed £11.6 billion to the UK economy in 2017.The full report from Oxford Economics is available here: https://www.isc.co.uk/research/independent-schools-economic-impact-report-2018/.

Schools: Asbestos

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to publish the names the schools subject to the Asbestos Management Assurance Process.

Nick Gibb: The Department takes the health and safety of staff and pupils very seriously.The Department launched the Asbestos Management Assurance Process (AMAP) in March 2018 to enhance its understanding of the management of asbestos in schools. The AMAP was a voluntary data collection, but all state funded schools in England were expected to participate. On 16 July 2019, the Department published a report of findings from the process, alongside a list of schools and their responsible bodies that participated.The AMAP remains open so that schools and responsible bodies can continue to participate or update their information. The Department will update the list of institutions that have responded to the AMAP every six months to ensure that this provides an up-to-date picture of participation.

Ilkley School

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the outcome of Ilkley Grammar School and the Moorland Trust's application to open a 1,000 place sixth form college under the Free School programme.

Nick Gibb: Successful applications from wave 13 of the free schools programme were announced on 14 June 2019. The application from Moorlands Learning Trust was not successful, due to a lack of need for additional post-16 places in the proposed location of the school.

Pupil Premium: Further Education

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will extend the pupil premium to post-16 education to support disadvantaged students in further education.

Nick Gibb: I refer the right hon. Member for Easington to the answer I gave on 30 September 2019 to HL17941.

Adoption Support Fund: Finance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to announce plans for the continued funding of the Adoption Support Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Michelle Donelan: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced on 15 October that the Adoption Support Fund (ASF) will continue until 2021. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-government-support-for-adoptive-families.Funding post 2021 will be subject to the full Spending Review, planned in 2020. This review is expected to set multi-year budgets for all government departments. Funding for the ASF will be considered as part of this process.

Nurseries: Sales

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Ofsted registered nurseries have been sold to new owners in each of the last 12 months.

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Ofsted registered (a) nurseries and (b) childminders have closed for business in each of the last 12 months.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Ministry of Justice

Offences against Children: Compensation

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average compensation award was for successful child sexual abuse prosecutions which resulted in a criminal compensation order in 2018.

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number of successful child sexual abuse prosecutions that resulted in a criminal compensation order in 2018.

Chris Philp: The number of prosecutions, convictions, sentences, compensation orders and average compensation amount for child sex abuse offences in 2018 can be viewed in the table attached.



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Prisons: Fires

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 8 October 2019 to Question 293577 on Prisons: Fires, how many CPS referrals for prosecution in 2018 involved fire events in prisons.

Lucy Frazer: We do not hold the number of referrals for fire related events in prison centrally and this information could only be obtained at disproportionate costs

Legal Aid Scheme: Family Law

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to widen the scoping criteria for legal aid in family law cases set by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Wendy Morton: Legal aid is already available for public family law children cases, including care proceedings and adoption proceedings under the Children Act 1989 and related proceedings. It is also available for private family law where there is evidence of domestic abuse and for all EU and international child custody, maintenance and prevention of abduction cases. In the Legal Support Action plan published in February 2019 the Government committed to expand the scope for legal aid in family law cases to cover all Special Guardianship Orders in private family law. Additionally, since 2014-15 the MoJ has invested close to £8m in support for those representing themselves in the family and civil courts through the Litigants in Person Support Strategy. The strategy works with a range of partners across England and Wales in the advice, voluntary and pro bono sectors to provide practical support for litigants in person. We also announced in the Legal Support Action Plan in February 2019 that we are providing an extra £3m of funding over the next two years to further enhance support for litigants in person.

Legal Representation: Family Courts

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequate provision of legal advice in family law cases to reduce the number of litigants in person in the family courts.

Wendy Morton: Litigants in person do require support to help them navigate the justice system and this is why since 2014-15 the Ministry of Justice has invested close to £8m in support for them in the civil and family courts, through the Litigants in Person Support Strategy. The strategy works with a range of partners across England and Wales in the advice, voluntary and pro bono sectors to provide practical support for litigants in person. This includes online and self-help resources, as well as access to free or affordable legal advice and representation, where possible. Access to a lawyer is not always the right or most affordable way to solve an issue in the most effective way Additionally, we announced in the Legal Support Action Plan in February 2019 that we are providing a further £3m of funding over the next two years to enhance support for litigants in person, ensuring those representing themselves in court understand the process and are better supported through it. Through the HMCTS reform programme, the Government is also investing over £1bn to build a modern system for administering justice which will benefit everyone who uses it. By designing systems around the public who need and use our services, we can create a more effective system for them and generate efficiencies for the taxpayer.

Prisoners: Pregnancy

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many pregnant women are in prison in England and Wales (a) in total and (b) for non-violent crimes.

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many pregnant women are on remand awaiting trial in England and Wales.

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) babies born to women serving custodial sentences have lived and (b) neo-natal mortalities there have been among such women in each women's prison in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. We are currently carrying out a fundamental review of our Mother and Baby Units policy, as part of which, we are looking at what information related to pregnancy and birth can be collected.

Prisoners: Mobile Phones and Social Media

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to prevent prisoners uploading footage and accessing YouTube and other social media channels in prison; and if he will provide prison officers with enhanced (a) powers and (b) technology to find and seize mobile phones hidden inside prisoners' bodies.

Lucy Frazer: HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is taking decisive action to stop mobile phones from entering prison and, where they do get in, finding them and stopping them from working. HMPPS already has significant powers to search people on entry to prison. We are investing £100 million in prison security with tough airport-style security and X-ray body scanners to detect contraband such as mobile phones, hidden inside prisoners’ bodies During a prisoner’s period of detention HMPPS may conduct searches of the person, property, cell and area searches, aided by dedicated search teams, metal-detecting scanners and phone detection technology. To strengthen HMPPS’ ability to find mobile phones and stop them from working, last year amendments were made to the Prisons (Interference with Wireless Telegraphy Act) 2012. These amendments would enable public communications providers, such as a mobile phone network operator, to be authorised to interfere with wireless telegraphy in prisons. Working with mobile network operators, as industry experts, will place HMPPS in a better position to develop future-proofed solutions. In addition, Telecommunication Restriction Orders have allowed HMPPS to block the use of specific mobile phones in prisons. In the meantime, HMPPS’ award winning Digital Investigations Unit works with prisons to identify offenders accessing websites and shuts their access down quickly. In 2018, over 594 social media profiles were removed.

Knives: Crime

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to tighten bail conditions for people charged with offences involving knife crime.

Chris Philp: The decision to remand an individual in custody or to grant bail is solely a matter for the courts acting in accordance with the law. The court may decide to impose conditions to ensure the defendant attends court, does not commit another offence and does not interfere with justice. Conditions that may be imposed include, but are not limited to, curfews, surrender of passports, securities, sureties, and electronic monitoring. Matters relating to the consideration of bail, including bail conditions that may be imposed by the courts, are set out in the Bail Act 1976. Any changes to this would therefore involve making changes to primary legislation. However, the Government has no plans at present to amend the Bail Act to limit the discretion of the courts.

Ministry of Justice: Energy Supply

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 2 October 2019 to Question 291004 and to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question 290324, if he will introduce the same policy as the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and switch to an electricity provider that supplies electricity solely from renewable resources within the next 12 months; and for what reason his Department has not already ensured its electricity is supplied solely from renewable resources.

Chris Philp: Government departments are mandated to use Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Energy frameworks for the supply of electricity. EDF is the current supplier and the current arrangement lasts until March 2022. We are exploring with CCS how to increase the percentage of energy sourced from renewables. This includes the feasibility of changing the current percentage mix, the costs of securing matched renewable energy through obtaining Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origination (REGOs), and the timescales for doing so. To date the Department has prioritised energy efficiency and spend to save investment on its estate. But as part of the MoJ’s commitment to achieve net zero by 2050 or sooner, the Department is exploring options for increased on-site renewable energy generation, and low and no carbon energy supply.

Suspended Sentences: Electronic Tagging

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people serving suspended sentences were made subject to an electronic monitoring condition, broken down by offence; and on how many occasions was that condition breached in each of the last five years.

Chris Philp: Electronic Monitoring (EM), both of curfews and using satellite enabled tags to monitor an individual’s whereabouts, is a vital tool in protecting the public and robustly monitoring offenders in the community. It supports probation staff and the police in managing offenders and defendants safely in the community, delivering the orders of the court and helping to tackle the problems which lead to offending.The below table shows the number of suspended sentence orders with an EM requirement by offence type. Data is only available from 2016.Summary motoringÈViolence against the personÈNon-compliance of ordersÈFailed Bail condition ÈFailed Bail condition ÈSuspended sentence orders with an electronic monitoring requirement by offence type(1)2016/172017/182018/19Criminal damage and arson241172117Drug offences1021906764Fraud offences461389284Miscellaneous crimes against society1093952664Offence not recorded834623Possession of weapons538561656Public order offences312295259Robbery546579470Sexual offences214239183Summary motoring11411045761Theft offences1093886495Violence against the person203016471312Non-compliance of orders1064896701Failed Bail condition14011461Total997787276750 The below table shows the number of tagged subjects who failed to comply with their suspended sentence order electronic monitoring requirement at least once. Data on compliance is only available for completed suspended sentence orders. 2016/17(3)2017/182018/19Total completed suspended sentence orders with an electronic monitoring requirement with equip install(2)(3)742181936430Compliance258530402666Non-compliance483651533764 2016/17(3) 2017/18 2018/19Total completed suspended sentence orders with an electronic monitoring requirement with equip install(2)(3) 7421 8193 6430Compliance 2585 3040 2666Non-compliance 4836 5153 3764 (1) Derived from electronic monitoring new starts files(2) Derived from number of completions of orders with equipment on(3) Electronic monitoring completions data only available from June 2016 onwards. A person may have more than one completion. Some orders are for multiple offences, in these cases orders have been assigned to first offence type recorded on the orders.Note for reference: Failed bail conditions = not surrendering to bail, and non-compliance of orders = BREACH OF ACTION PLAN ORDER, Breach of Criminal Behaviour Order, Breach of Restraining order, Failure to attend supervision appointments, Failure to comply with Notification Requirements, FAILURE TO NOTIFY OF CHANGE OF CIRCUMSTANCES etc.If a subject on tag does not comply with an Electronic Monitoring condition or requirement, for example by being absent during curfew hours or tampering with a tag, an instantaneous alert is generated that is sent to Electronic Monitoring Services (EMS). The appropriate authorities decide, based on the evidence, whether the non-compliance event constitutes a breach and if so what action should be taken. The nature of breaches vary, and not all non-compliance events are classed as formal breaches requiring further action – for example, if the subject was at hospital or in custody at the time, and therefore unable to return to their curfew location in time for their curfew. While the majority of non-compliance events will generate an alert than can lead to a breach there are a range of other circumstances that can lead to breach action being taken.

Offenders: Electronic Tagging

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 20 June 2019 to Question 267275 on Offenders: Electronic Tagging, how many events were classed as formal breaches requiring further action.

Lucy Frazer: Electronic monitoring, both of curfews and using satellite enabled tags to monitor an individual’s whereabouts, is a vital tool in protecting the public and robustly monitoring offenders in the community. It supports probation staff and the police in managing offenders and defendants safely in the community, delivering the orders of the court and helping to tackle the problems which lead to offending. Data that identifies the number of non-compliance events that lead to breach action is not held centrally and could only be identified at a disproportionate cost.

Reoffenders

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 03 October 2019 to Question 292174 on Re-offenders: Homicide, how many offenders under statutory supervision have been charged with serious further offences, broken down by offence, in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 3 October to Question 292174 on Re-offenders: Homicide and the Answer of 28 June 2019 to Question 267272 on Homicide, for what reason the figures on the number of offenders convicted of murder, who at the time they committed the offence were being supervised on a life licence between 2016 and 2018 are different from the figures for offenders released from a life sentence for murder who went on to commit another murder while on life licence in the same period.

Lucy Frazer: The table below sets out the number of offenders under the statutory supervision of the NPS and CRCs who were charged with a serious further offence, broken down by offence in each of the last five years. SFO offence20142015201620172018Arson with intent to endanger life1515162018Assault by penetration2430353715Attempt or conspiracy to commit murder4654608579Aggravated Burglary2422415735Causing death by dangerous/careless driving/aggravated vehicle taking57121016False imprisonment1110252917Firearms offences including possession with intent1918121617Kidnapping2315142228Manslaughter85131613Murder716986114132Offences under the Explosive Substances Act00642Other offences against the person00000Other qualifying sexual offences2636263821Other serious violent offence11033Other specified offence causing death12000Rape172217245242130Robbery with firearm81381513Under 13 sexual offences including rape2734253223Total481548624740562 Data Sources and Quality. We have drawn these figures from administrative IT systems which, as with some large-scale recording systems, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processingThe NPS and CRCs are required to complete reviews on any eligible offender who has been charged with (including attempted or conspiracy to commit offences): murder manslaughter, other specified offences causing death, rape or assault by penetration, or a sexual offence against a child under 13 years of age.Data provided for offences should in italics are “conditional” reviews completed by the NPS only when an offender has been assessed as high risk of harm during the current sentence.Not all SFO notifications result in the completion of a reviews as charges can be reduced or dropped. Not every offender charged with a SFO is convicted.The data represents SFO charges and not a unique count of offenders. You have also asked for what reason the figures on the number of offenders convicted of murder, who at the time they committed the offence were being supervised on a life licence between 2016 and 2018 are different from the figures for offenders released from a life sentence for murder who went on to commit another murder while on life licence in the same period. The figures in PQ 267272 relate to the number of offenders being supervised on life licence, not restricted to those on life licence for a mandatory life sentence for the offence of murder, charged in the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 and subsequently convicted of murder. The corresponding figures stated in PQ 292174 are lower because they refer to the number of offenders released in 2016, 2017 and 2018 on life licence following a conviction for murder who have since been convicted of another murder.

Life Imprisonment

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 3 October 2019 to Question 292174 on Re-offenders: Homicide, how many lifers on licence have been subsequently returned to prison on (a) fixed term recall and (b) standard recall.

Lucy Frazer: Public protection is our priority. Offenders on licence are subject to strict licence conditions and supervision. They can also be recalled potentially to serve the rest of their sentence in prison if they breach the terms of their release. The legislation allowing Fixed Term Recalls (Criminal Justice Act 2003) does not apply to offenders on a life sentence; consequently, offenders on a life licence may receive only a standard recall.Published data recording the number of offenders on a life licence returned (recalled) to prison each year is available from 2010 and is set out in the table below:20102011201220132014201520162017201895118124174201212212222288

Probate: Computer Software

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 2 September 2019 to Question 284794 on Probate: Computer Software, what steps he is taking to ensure applicants can give feedback on their satisfaction with the probate application process after a grant has been issued.

Chris Philp: Probate Services provided by Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) have been designed and developed incorporating user feedback. The user satisfaction rate measured at the time the customer submits their application (the point at which they finish their interaction with our online process) remains consistent at 92%. HMCTS welcomes customer views throughout their interaction with its services, including after the application has been made. The agency’s formal complaints and praise procedure is available for this purpose and customers can engage with it at the court, on the phone, or online at GOV.UK. Feedback is used to inform ongoing service improvement. In respect of probate HMCTS received feedback from applicants on their concerns in a number of ways. The agency has recruited more staff to address a peak of workload and is now issuing in excess of 1,000 grants a day, which has led to reductions in waiting times.

Prisons: Security

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department’s press release, £100 million crackdown on crime in prison, published on 13 August 2019, what the previously announced £70 million to increase security and stability in prisons was spent on.

Lucy Frazer: The Government announced an additional £100 million investment in prison security to combat crime inside prisons. The illicit economy drives a significant amount of crime in the prison estate, so it is a priority to ensure security is robust to prevent contraband being smuggled into the prison system. This announcement is the latest in a series of significant investments to increase security and stability in prisons, including the £70m announced previously. The £70 million was announced over the course of the financial year 2018/19 and is broken down as follows:£10m for the Ten Prisons Project;£30.5m to improve decency;£11.5m for security; and£17m for in-cell telephony and associated cabling.1 The new £100m investment will now help us to go further and faster to improve prison security by investing in more enhanced gate security such as baggage scanners, body scanners and metal detectors. We are also stepping up our counter-corruption capability and strengthening (in scale and reach) intelligence-led operations and investigations with law enforcement partners against those that present the greatest threat of harm to prison security and the community. 1 These figures are subject to rounding but would otherwise total £70m.

Criminal Justice System Common Platform Programme

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the estimated completion date is for the Criminal Justice System Common Platform programme.

Chris Philp: The timelines regarding the Crime Programme can be found within the regularly published HMCTS Reform Update https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hmcts-reform-programme-reform-update which confirms a programme end date of March 2021.As with all programmes, timelines are under continuous review.

Criminal Justice System Common Platform Programme

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the estimated total cost is of the Criminal Justice System Common Platform programme.

Chris Philp: The cost as set out in the 2018 HMT approved Business Case for the development of the CJS Common Platform is £237m.

Prisons: Overcrowding

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 4 October 2019 to Question 290625 on Sentencing, what steps his Department plans to take to alleviate overcrowding in prisons whilst implementing recently announced sentencing reforms.

Lucy Frazer: We remain committed to reducing crowding across the prison estate. In the year to March 2019, the proportion of prisoners held in crowded accommodation was 22.5%, down from 24.2% the previous year and levels of around 25% experienced since 2004.The Prime Minister’s pledge to invest up to £2.5 billion to create 10,000 additional prison places will have a positive impact on lowering the proportion of crowding in the prison estate, providing accommodation that is safe, decent and uncrowded. However, the extent to which the proportion of prisoners held in crowded accommodation will reduce will be dependent on future prison population levels.Sentencing must match the severity of the crime and protecting the public will always be our priority. The sentencing reforms announced by the Government will ensure serious violent and sexual offenders spend longer in prison. The impact on the prison population will build up gradually over a number of years, and we will ensure that we have enough places for offenders sent by the courts.

Department for International Trade

Arms Trade: Turkey

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment he has made of compliance with arms export licence criteria of weapons sold to Turkey.

Graham Stuart: All export licence applications, including for Turkey, are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking into account all relevant factors at the time of the application, including how the goods will be used. The Government continues to monitor the situation in Syria very closely and is considering the licensing position in the light of recent developments. No further export licences to Turkey for items which might be used in military operations in Syria will be granted while we do so.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many extant arms export licences for Paveway bombs there are for (a) Saudi Arabia and (b) that country's coalition allies; and what the (i) type (ii) date of expiry and (iii) date of issue is for each such licence.

Graham Stuart: There are no extant licences for Paveway bombs for Saudi Arabia or its coalition partners.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Charities and Community Interest Companies: Finance

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that (a) charities and (b) community interest companies that have contracts with local authorities have an adequate level of unrestricted funding to continue to fulfill their core functions.

Luke Hall: Local authorities have been outsourcing and using shared service arrangements for many decades. Almost all councils have some service areas provided externally, with varying contract management arrangements.Local authorities are accountable to local people, and it is for them to determine how best to deliver effective services for their communities. Decisions over tendering and contracts are for councils to make, following their own due diligence process.Next year’s settlement for local government responds to the pressures councils are facing by providing access to the largest increase Core Spending Power since 2015, an estimated 4.3 per cent real terms increase of £2.9 billion.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to make it an objective of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to (a) reduce the level of and (b) alleviate child poverty.

Jake Berry: The government will create the UK Shared Prosperity Fund following our departure from the European Union.   We will consult in due course.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Brexit

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with representatives of St Helens Council on preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Luke Hall: My Department is ensuring that councils have the necessary information to prepare effectively and that there are opportunities to raise and address specific local questions and concerns. I have asked every council to designate a Brexit Lead Officer who will oversee local preparations for Brexit and act as a contact point between the government and local areas. All 354 councils quickly designated a Brexit Lead Officer and the department is using them to share information, guidance and advice.There has been extensive engagement with the sector, including a series of events for all councils, a monthly meeting between the Secretary of State and council leaders, a monthly teleconference with all Chief Executives and Brexit Lead Officers, and weekly dialogue with a network of nine Chief Executives who represent their regions on Brexit. There are also regular mailouts, bulletins and dedicated web pages to bring together relevant information, advice and guidance on Brexit from across Whitehall.

Thomas Cook: Insolvency

Ms Lisa Forbes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from Peterborough City Council for financial support following the collapse of Thomas Cook.

Jake Berry: I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 377 on 17 October 2019.

Members: Correspondence

Sir David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the letters of the 11 June, 3 July and 20 August 2019 from the Rt hon. Member for Aylesbury on the Bucks Local Enterprise Partnership Review.

Jake Berry: I can confirm that the letters have now been received by my Department and we will respond in due course.

Buildings: Insulation

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question 217590 on Buildings: Insulation, if he will publish the (a) results of the bespoke testing programme or (b) date when the results will be published.

Esther McVey: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Buildings: Safety

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the expert advisory panel on building safety on revising Advice Note 14 following the increase in unsalable properties in tower blocks.

Esther McVey: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Urban Areas: North East

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will (a) make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the Cambridge University Bennett Institute for Public Policy report entitled Townscapes: The North East and (b) reintroduce the position of Minister for the North East to tackle the decline in North East towns referred to in that report.

Jake Berry: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Buildings: Insulation

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to extend the ban on combustible materials on tower blocks to (a) hospitals, (b) care homes, (c) sheltered housing and (d) other high-risk buildings.

Esther McVey: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Buildings: Insulation

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many buildings have received funding from the Government’s £200 million private sector ACM cladding remediation fund.

Esther McVey: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost of remediation of social sector tower blocks with high-pressure laminate cladding and insulation combinations found to be unsafe by the independent expert advisory panel on building safety.

Esther McVey: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Tenant Fees Act 2019

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the effect on pet owners of the implementation of the Tenant Fees Act 2019.

Esther McVey: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Affordable Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 9 September 2019 to Question 282187, if he will publish the resource DEL budgets of each work area under the Strategic Objective SO1, Programme Area Building Affordable Homes.

Jake Berry: With reference to the detailed response to your question on 9 September, we provided details of work areas which sit under each Strategic Objective. It was noted that the Department had not provided further details of budget expenditure for each work area as budgets and structure change during the year.The level of budgeted expenditure detail provided in the Main Estimate Explanatory Memorandum is published in line with guidance issued by the Scrutiny Unit.Updated budgets for each Programme will be provided at the Supplementary Estimate later in the year.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's document entitled, Main Estimate 2019-20: Estimates Memorandum, if he will publish the (a) component parts and (b) allocations for the £5,664 million allocated to ring-fenced Capital DEL.

Luke Hall: Details of component parts and allocations of the £5,664 million are provided in the table under Section 2.1 of the Main Estimate 2019-20 Explanatory Memorandum. For ease, a copy of the relevant part of this table is attached to this answer. 



PQ 885 Section 2.1 of Main Estimates 2019-20 EM
(Word Document, 22.02 KB)

Affordable Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in HM Treasury on the future of the Affordable Homes Programme, ahead of the Budget on 6 November 2019.

Esther McVey: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Local Government: Advertising

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance he has issued to local authorities on the use of advertisements on their websites.

Luke Hall: Local authorities are free to decide if and how to raise revenue through their digital platforms. However, they are legally required to consider the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity on all publicity issues, including website maintenance and the hosting of third-party material. Link to the Code: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recommended-code-of-practice-for-local-authority-publicity.

Ministry of Defence

Syria: Military Intervention

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on (a) the US withdrawal from Northern Syria, (b) the actions of the Turkish Government in that area and (c) the security and military implications of these decisions for (i) Syria, (ii) the UK and (iii) the NATO alliance.

Mark Lancaster: My right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary spoke with US Defence Secretary, Mark Esper on 14 October 2019 and they discussed the ongoing situation in Northeast Syria. We cannot comment on the movement and actions of US troops as this is a matter for the US Government.My right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary has also spoken with the Turkish Defence Minister, Hulisi Akar on 10 and 16 October 2019. Whilst we accept that Turkey has legitimate security concerns, unilateral military action is undermining the stability and security of the region and could derail the Coalition's fight against Daesh.For decades, Turkey has been a staunch ally in NATO and one of the largest contributors of military personnel. However, we are in full agreement with our EU counterparts in condemning Turkey's unilateral military action where it impacts on civilians and the counter-Daesh effort.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme transferred their pension benefits from that scheme to non-defined benefit schemes prior to the public service pensions reforms of 2015 coming into force.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many complaints Veterans UK has received from members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme who transferred pension benefits to non-defined benefit schemes prior to the public service pensions reforms of 2015 coming into force.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an estimate of the monetary value lost by members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme who transferred pension benefits out of that scheme to non-defined benefit schemes prior to the public service pensions reforms of 2015 coming into force; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assistance Veterans UK is providing to members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme who incurred loss of their pension benefits following a transfer out of that scheme.

Johnny Mercer: The Ministry of Defence provides comprehensive, non-contributory pension schemes for the Armed Forces in recognition of their dedication and service. Prior to the public sector pension reforms of 2015 which prohibited Service personnel from making transfers to non-defined benefit schemes, Service personnel had the right to transfer their pension benefits to any HMRC registered scheme. Between 2010 and 2015, some 4,600 members of the Armed Forces Pension Schemes transferred their pension benefits to non-defined benefit schemes, such as other private or occupational pension schemes. The total number of complaints received is not held in the format requested, as not all non-defined benefit schemes have resulted in a loss no estimate has been made of the potential monetary value lost to former members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme. The Department is not authorised to provide financial advice however copies of all transfer documentation are provided free of charge to those who believe they may have incurred a loss from the transfer of their benefits as a result of pension liberation or mis-selling.

HMS Jufair

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Navy personnel are based in HMS Jufair on a full-time basis.

Mark Lancaster: There are more than 100 Royal Navy personnel deployed to the UK Naval Support Facility (UK NSF) in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Bahrain: Military Bases

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many full-time staff are currently stationed in the UK's Naval Support Facility in Bahrain.

Mark Lancaster: There are more than 150 UK based military and Civil Service personnel deployed to the UK Naval Support Facility (UK NSF) in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The facility provides support for our deployed naval force in the Gulf, enabling our maritime security commitment for Bahrain, the wider region, and the global economy.

Antisubmarine Warfare

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure interoperability with NATO allies on anti-submarine warfare.

Mark Lancaster: Anti-Submarine Warfare is conducted alongside a range of allies, including NATO, and interoperability with those nations is key to execution of operations. We regularly exercise with our partners. The Royal Navy also maintains a standing seat on the NATO Underwater Capability Group, a subordinate group to the NATO Naval Armaments Group, ensuring capability coherence for interoperability.

Defence: Labour Turnover

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of workers leaving the defence industry since 2010.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not collect data on the numbers of workers leaving the UK defence industry.In our most recent assessment, MOD official statistics showed that MOD spending with UK industry in 2017-18 directly supported 115,000 jobs across the country, and others report that 260,000 jobs are supported directly and indirectly across the sector.

Defence: Industry

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has any plans to publish an updated Defence Industrial Strategy.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Our refreshed Defence Industrial Policy, published in December 2017, sets out our commitment to encouraging a thriving and globally competitive UK defence sector as an integral part of the Government's overall Industrial Strategy. The Department continues to monitor the implementation and impact of our policies to ensure that our approach remains effective. This includes consideration of alternative approaches in specific areas, as we have already done in the National Shipbuilding and Combat Air sectors.

Saudi Arabia: Military Aid

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to fulfil the commitment to provide military assistance to Saudi Arabia made in the Written Statement of 23 May 2019, Official Report HCWS716.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 1 April 2019 to Question 237783.



Yemen:Overseas Workers
(Word Document, 22.5 KB)

Trident

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there is a statutory requirement for a (a) military and (b) legal review of the Trident Replacement Decision.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: There is no statutory requirement for a military or legal review of the decision to maintain the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it remains his policy to increase (a) female personnel to 15 per cent of intake and (b) Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic personnel to at least 10 percent of total intake by 2020.

Mark Lancaster: The Defence Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, published in October 2018, is based on achieving a vision that reflects our recognition that the recruitment, and inclusion of individuals with diverse skills, perspectives and backgrounds will bring real strength to Defence and wider society.The Armed Forces continue to work towards targets of 10 per cent of recruits to come from Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic backgrounds and 15 percent to be women by 2020.Work to increase representation in the Armed Forces includes better understanding and greater engagement with these communities, reviewing recruitment processes; and better targeted marketing and communications towards potential applicants.

Ministry of Defence: USA

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's current US dollar contract liability is.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent from the public purse on foreign exchange losses in the 2018-19 financial year.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We address the impact of foreign exchange using forward purchase contracts agreed with the Bank of England.This mechanism provides budget stability in the forward programme and is not intended to generate gains or savings from the foreign exchange market.In 2018-19, the Department held a central contingency that provided support for fluctuations of the exchange rates.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total cost was of purchasing nine P-8 Poseidon military aircraft.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The current forecasted cost of procuring our fleet of nine P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft is £2,207 million, as reported in the Project Performance Summary Table in the Defence Equipment Plan 2018:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/788481/20190318-EP18_v3.pdf

Maritime Patrol Aircraft: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Government's announcement of 15 August 2019 that it would invest £3 billion in purchasing nine Boeing Poseidon P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, what proportion of construction work for the nine aircraft will be carried out in the UK.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The RAF's P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft is produced by Boeing at its production facilities in Seattle and is based on the 737-Next Generation civil airliner, the supply chain for which includes a range of UK manufacturing companies. Boeing estimates that around 5% of every P-8 aircraft produced globally is UK content. UK produced components are used in all P-8 aircraft, not just those ordered for the RAF, meaning that UK industry and manufacturers are involved with, and benefit from, every P-8 aircraft produced, including the one hundred or so aircraft already delivered and in-service worldwide.

Warships: Procurement

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to place the order for the first fleet solid support ships; and how many of those ships he plans to order.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We anticipate that a design and build contract for the Fleet Solid Support ships will be awarded in 2020, for a class of up to three ships.

Armed Forces: Homelessness

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many surplus ration packs have been distributed to charitable organisations helping homeless people in (a) Wirral and (b) the UK.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Arrangements are in place for the distribution of surplus Ministry of Defence (MOD) 10-Man Ration packs through FareShare (a UK food charity). However, since initiating the agreement with FareShare on 1 April 2019, due to effective MOD stock management, no 10-Man Ration packs have become available for gifting.

Bomb Disposal: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence,  with reference to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question 291280 on Bomb disposal: Northern Ireland, on how many occasions Army bomb disposal units were called out in Northern Ireland between 1 January 2016 and 1 July 2016.

Mark Lancaster: Incidents requiring explosive ordnance disposal experts in Northern Ireland are dealt with solely by military personnel. Army explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel were called out in Northern Ireland 112 times between 1 January 2016 and 30 June 2016.The information requested is published annually in the Report of the Independent Reviewer of the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007 at the link below:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/599114/9th_Annual_Report_of_Independent_Review_of_Justice___Security.PDF

Armed Forces: Private Education

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department has allocated to the Continuity of Education Allowance to fund schools places (a) globally and (b) in England in each of the last five financial years.

Johnny Mercer: The aim of Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) is to assist Service personnel to achieve continuity of education for their children that would otherwise be denied in the state-maintained day school sector, due to the mobility of families as result of consecutive assignments, both in the UK and overseas. CEA is an allowance claimed by qualifying Service personnel, within a strict governance framework, which is then paid to qualifying schools, all of which are in the United Kingdom (Great Britain and Northern Ireland). The total cost of CEA, and that paid to schools in England only, for the last five Financial Years (FY), is as follows:FYTotal Cost £ millionEngland £ million2014-1584.576.72015-1680.972.72016-1780.072.02017-1879.872.42018-1980.272.6

*No heading*

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of his Department's progress on meeting armed forces recruitment targets.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the right Hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the Members for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Andrew Jones), Harlow (Robert Halfon), Chelmsford (Vicky Ford), Poole (Robert Syms) and Clacton (Giles Watling).

Armed Forces: Private Education

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent from the Continuity of Education Allowance on placements at (a) Eton, (b) Charterhouse, (c) Harrow, (d) Rugby, (e) Shrewsbury, (f) Westminster, (g) Winchester, (h) St Paul's and (i) Merchant Taylors in the last financial year for which data is available.

Johnny Mercer: The Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) payments made by Service personnel to the schools in question during Financial Year 2018-19 were as follows:School£Eton College184,592Charterhouse School14,814Harrow School249,726Rugby School155,547Shrewsbury School355,978Westminster School0Winchester College60,925St Paul’s School0Merchant Taylor’s School0 Service personnel may select from a wide variety of schools across the UK from within the independent and state-maintained sectors. To qualify for the purposes of CEA, a school must: offer full boarding facilities; be registered with the appropriate UK education department; be subject to Ofsted inspection and, in the case of independent schools, be a member of an organisation affiliated to the Independent Schools Council or the Scottish Council for Independent Schools. Each claimant is required to contribute at least 10 per cent of the fees.

*No heading*

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: If he will introduce a statute of limitations to protect servicemen and women from prosecution.

Johnny Mercer: The prosecution of veterans is something that we take very seriously. Our Service personnel are of course subject to the law, but veterans should not have to face repeated investigations many years after the events in question. This is why we have just completed a public consultation on proposed legal protections measures for serving personnel and veterans. Once we have analysed the responses, we will bring forward legislation.

*No heading*

Helen Goodman: If he will take steps to ensure that veterans who served before 1975 for less than 22 years are granted a service pension.

Johnny Mercer: I understand and sympathise with the veterans affected. However, the issue of pre-1975 pensions is common to all contemporary public service schemes. Given the likely number of former employees, the financial impact of resolving legacy pension issues is expected to be very significant. There would also be potentially overwhelming practical and administrative difficulties in recreating precise service and pay records and calculating pension awards for people who served about half a century ago, or for their surviving dependants.

Department for Work and Pensions

Pension Protection Fund

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to amend the Pension Protection Fund rules to allow people with pre-April 1997 pensionable service to receive increases to their pension of up to 2.5 per cent.

Guy Opperman: The Pension Protection Fund is a well-established compensation scheme with cross party support. Without the Pension Protection Fund, most company insolvencies would mean that members of Defined Benefit pension schemes could be facing significant financial insecurity in retirement. The Pension Protection Fund was never intended to replicate scheme benefits in their entirety. There are ongoing court cases relating to the Pension Protection Fund compensation and so it would be inappropriate to comment further until the final judgments have been handed down. Once the litigation is concluded we will review the position.

Social Security Benefits

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is her Department's policy that jobcentre staff should inform claimants of universal credit that they should make a claim for new-style employment and support allowance or jobseeker's allowance if they are likely to be eligible for those benefits.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether Jobcentre staff receive training to identify when a new claimant would be entitled to (a) new-style employment and support allowance and (b) new-style jobseeker's allowance.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department is committed to providing the best possible support for all claimants irrespective of which benefit they are in receipt of, or in the process of claiming. Jobcentre staff undergo a comprehensive learning journey designed to equip them with the tools, skills and behaviours required to provide a high quality service to all claimants. All Work Coaches within Jobcentres receive specific training regarding identifying when new style Employment and Support Allowance and new style Jobseekers Allowance are appropriate, and have the knowledge and skills to support claimants throughout the process. More widely, the Department provides benefit eligibility information to help people make decisions surrounding benefits to which they may be entitled, along with details about how to claim them. This is available through Jobcentre Plus offices and via the GOV.UK website.

Employment and Support Allowance: Telephone Services

Mr Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time has been for calls to the Employment Support Allowance helpline in each month since October 2018.

Mims Davies: The average wait time for calls to the Employment Support Allowance helpline in each month from October 2018 to September 2019 is shown in the table below in the format of hours:minutes:seconds.  Average Wait TimeOctober 201800:11:30November 201800:12:44December 201800:21:36January 201900:20:06February 201900:20:47March 201900:18:31April 201900:29:56May 201900:23:15June 201900:17:29July 201900:26:51August 201900:26:17September 201900:24:42

Disability

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she will publish the terms of reference of her Department's new Serious Case Panel.

Justin Tomlinson: Terms of Reference for the Serious Case Panel have not yet been finalised. When they are a copy will be placed in the House of Commons library.

Disability

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether (a) disabled people and (b) representatives from disabled people's organisations will sit on her Department's new independent Serious Case panel.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department is currently developing Panel membership and intends to work with stakeholders as the Panel is agreed.

Disability

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who will sit on her Department's new independent Serious Case panel.

Justin Tomlinson: A combination of independent experts and Directors from the Department will sit on the new Serious Case Panel. To get the balance right the Department will work with stakeholders as the Panel is developed.

Personal Independence Payment

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what disability training medical professionals undertaking personal independence payment assessments are required to have in respect to autism.

Justin Tomlinson: All health professionals carrying out assessments are medically qualified and highly trained practitioners in their own field. DWP requires health professionals to have a broad training in disability analysis as well as awareness training in specific conditions which include autistic spectrum disorder. While preparing to undertake an assessment, health professionals have access to a range of resources as well as experienced clinicians to support them in assessing claimants with conditions that they may not be familiar with. Additionally, assessment providers engage with medical experts, charities and relevant stakeholders to strengthen their training programmes.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions officials in her Department have had with their counterparts in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the potential role of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to (a) reduce and (b) alleviate child poverty.

Mims Davies: The manifesto committed to replace European structural funds with a UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which will reduce inequalities between communities and deliver sustainable, inclusive growth. We continue to work together on the design and priorities of the new fund.

Brexit: St Helens

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions her Department has had with representatives of St Helens Council on preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government has been clear that leaving the EU with a deal is its preferred option. The Government is, however, continuing to plan for a range of scenarios, including a no deal exit from the EU. These contingencies ensure that DWP can continue to provide our vital services and that individuals will continue to be able to access DWP benefits and services on the same basis as they do now.MHCLG are the department responsible for EU exit preparedness for Local Authorities.

Universal Credit

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason universal credit is paid pro-rata when a claimant becomes eligible part way through an assessment period for state pension credit  but not when a claimant becomes eligible for the state pension without state pension credit.

Guy Opperman: This measure ensures that there is no gap in entitlement for people who rely on means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit. It provides a smooth transition between working-age and pension-age income related welfare support.

Universal Credit: Vale of Clwyd

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of economically active people claiming universal claimant in the Vale of Clwyd constituency in August (a) 2018 and (b) 2019.

Will Quince: The requested information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost to the Department. Universal Credit claimants that are economically active could either be employed or unemployed and therefore, information on Conditionality Regimes by parliamentary constituency can be found at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Occupational Pensions: Makerfield

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people in Makerfield constituency have (a) opted out after being auto-enrolled into a workplace pension and (b) saved more than the auto-enrolment minimum contribution.

Guy Opperman: Automatic enrolment has achieved a quiet revolution through getting employees into the habit of pension saving, and reversing the decline in workplace pension participation in the decade prior to these reforms. Since automatic enrolment started in 2012 participation rates have been transformed with 87% of eligible employees saving into a workplace pension in 2018, up from 55% in 2012. The Department does not hold data for individual constituencies in relation to opt outs or the number of individuals who have saved above the automatic enrolment minimum contribution level. However, we do know that overall around 9% of automatically enrolled workers have chosen to opt out which is significantly below original estimates; and our latest evaluation report shows that, in April 2017, approximately 5.9 million eligible employees were already meeting the April 2019 minimum contribution rates1. I am providing the following information about the impact of automatic enrolment in your constituency, as at end of September 20192: In the Makerfield constituency since 2012, approximately 5,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled and 1200 employers have met their duties. 1Automatic Enrolment Evaluation Report 2018, available via the following weblink: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/764964/Automatic_Enrolment_Evaluation_Report_2018.pdf. 2The Pensions Regulator’s data on Automatic enrolment declaration of compliance by constituency, available via the following weblink:https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests

Employment: Disability

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employers in (a) Birkenhead and (b) the UK have signed up to the Disability Confident scheme; and how many jobs have been created (i) in and (ii) under that scheme.

Justin Tomlinson: The Disability Confident (DC) scheme was launched in November 2016 and supports the Government’s commitment of helping one million more disabled people into work by 2027. Disability Confident provides employers with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace. The scheme is designed as a journey, with all employers starting at Level 1 and progressing through the scheme at their own pace. Accreditation for each level lasts for 3 years. No employer is too small or new to start the journey and even the most experienced employer will still find new techniques and best practice that can help them. As of 13/9/2019, the latest published figures show that over 13,600 employers are signed up to the scheme nationally at the following levels: Level 1 - DC Committed (10,031), Level 2 - DC Employer (3,336), Level 3 - DC Leader (244) of those, 62% are small or micro employers and 80% are SMEs. All main Government departments are DC Leaders (Level 3) and over 83% of Local Authorities signed up, with good penetration of NHS and blue-light services. In Birkenhead there are 42 Disability Confident organisations; 31 DC Committed (Level 1), 10 DC Employer (Level 2) and 1 DC Leader (Level 3). Of the 157,000 jobs currently advertised on the DWP Find a Job website, over 20,000 are from DC employers – totalling 13%.

Access to Work Programme

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Access To Work grants have been awarded in (a) Birkenhead and (b) the UK; and what the total value of those grants was in each of the last five years.

Justin Tomlinson: To get help from Access to Work you must live in England, Scotland or Wales – there is a different system in Northern Ireland. England, Scotland or Wales:  Number of people who receive an Access to Work payment and total Access to Work expenditure are published annually as part of the Access to Work statistics which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/access-to-work-statistics-april-2007-to-march-2019 Please see specifically: Table 6: The number of people who received a payment for any Access to Work provision of each type, 2009/10 - 2018/19Table 11: Expenditure on Access to Work provision, 2009/10 - 2018/19 (Nominal Terms)  The tables below show the number of people in Birkenhead who received an Access to Work grant payment in the last five financial years and the total value of those grants. Birkenhead:  2014/152015/162016/172017/182018/19Number of people who received an Access to Work payment5040406080Access to Work Expenditure£97,000£90,000£98,000£110,000£153,000 Please note: In some cases, Access to Work provision is approved however a DWP payment is not required, for example because provision can be provided at no cost or the employer covers the relevant costs. These cases are not captured above.The same person can receive payment for more than one grant of Access to Work of the same type or of different types in a given financial year or in different financial years. The table above shows the number of people who received a payment for one or more Elements in each financial year.Expenditure figures have been calculated using a methodology consistent with that used in the published Access to Work statistics. Please see the background information and methodology note for more information, in particular the “Weighting” section on pages 8-9.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/access-to-work-statistics-background-information-and-methodologyAccess to Work expenditure for Birkenhead is based on residency of the beneficiary as opposed to place of work.Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 due to the weighting methodology used (see Note 3).Number of people who received an Access to Work payment are rounded to the nearest 10 (in line with the published statistics).

Work Programme

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding her Department allocated to the Work Programme in the latest year for which figures are available.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions spent £62.6m on the Work Programme in the financial year 2018/19, which is the latest full year for which spend is available.

Employment Schemes: Disability

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding her Department allocated to Work Choices in the latest year for which figures are available.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions spent £22.4m on Work Choices, including Remploy, in the financial year 2018/19, which is the latest full year spend is available.

Work and Health Programme

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding her Department allocated to the Work and Health programme in the latest year for which figures are available.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions spent £46m on the Work and Health Programme in the financial year 2018/19, which is the latest full year for which spend is available.

Bereavement Support Payment

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to implement the ruling of the Supreme Court on extending bereavement support payments to unmarried couples.

Will Quince: The Supreme Court ruling related to Widowed Parent's Allowance which can be claimed for deaths before April 2017. We recognise that we currently have incompatible legislation on the statute books relating to Widowed Parent's Allowance. We are actively considering possible options but there are complex issues to consider which will take time to work through. We will report back to Parliament once we have agreed our approach.

Department for Work and Pensions: Energy Supply

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 2 October 2019 to Question 290333 on Department for Work and Pensions: Energy Supply and to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question 290324 on Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Energy Supply, if she will introduce the same policy as the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and switch to an electricity provider that supplies electricity solely from renewable resources within the next 12 months; and for what reason her Department has not already ensured its electricity is supplied solely from renewable resources.

Mims Davies: The Department is mandated by the Cabinet Office to use electricity agreements negotiated by the Crown Commercial Service for Central Government Organisations and therefore cannot set terms such as the use of renewable sources independently. To the Department’s knowledge Crown Commercial Service have no plans to create agreements to provide renewable resources only.

Bus Services: Concessions

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a reduced rate bus pass for women born in the 1950s who have had their state pension age changed.

Guy Opperman: Concessionary travel is a devolved policy area, so the administrative arrangements in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differ from one other. All local authorities in England have the power to introduce local concessions, including the extension of concessionary travel to those who are yet to reach the qualifying age. The age of eligibility for concessionary travel in England has been rising in line with the changes to the state pension age. Equalising the age difference between men and women addresses the current position of non-disabled citizens of working age receiving free bus passes. This in turn will help the financial sustainability of the scheme, which currently costs around £1 billion annually

Guardianship and Parents: Anxiety and Depressive Illnesses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the proportion of children who live in households in receipt of benefits who have one or more (a) parent and (b) guardian with a diagnosis of depression or anxiety.

Will Quince: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Unemployment: Hearing Impairment

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to tackle high levels of unemployment among the deaf community.

Justin Tomlinson: The DWP has a range of programmes to help disabled people, including deaf people.  These include:  The Work and Heath Programme (WHP), which is working with local providers to offer co-ordinated support to those with multiple employment barriers. It will help 275,000 people over 5 years, including 220,000 disabled people.  Intensive Personalised Employment Support Programme (IPES): The Intensive Personalised Employment Support Programme will launch before the end of 2019. It will provide highly personalised packages of employment support for disabled people with complex and multiple barriers to work, who are at least a year away from moving into work without the support on the programme.  Through the Disability Confident scheme, we are working with employers to change attitudes and create employment opportunities by enabling businesses to recruit and retain disabled people in their workplace. There are already over 13,600 employers signed up to Disability Confident scheme, and their number continues to grow.  Access to Work offers eligible disabled people a grant of up to £59,200 per year to fund support above the level of reasonable adjustments, to ensure that their health condition or disability does not hold them back in the workplace. People who are deaf and hard of hearing are the largest group of users of Access to Work, and in 2018/19 Access to Work grants totalled £129m, of which £45.8m was in respect of this group.  Jobcentre Plus: Our Jobcentres offer tailored support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers, backed by the Personal Support Package which is a 4 year, £330 million package of employment support targeted at claimants with disabilities and health conditions.

Money and Pensions Service

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 7 October 2019 to Question 292823, whether the budget for the Money and Pensions Service in 2019-20 is 125.6 million; and what comparative assessment he has made of that budget with the combined budget for the Money Advice Service, the Pensions Advisory Service and Pension Wise in each of the five years up to and including 2018-19.

Guy Opperman: The 2019-20 budget for the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) is £125.6m. ItemFinancial Services LevyGeneral Pensions LevyMoney Guidance£25.9m£0Debt Advice£55.8m£0Pension Wise£31.2m£0Dashboard£4.7m£2.3mPension Guidance£0£5.7mTotal117.6m£8.0m  The budgets for the three legacy organisations (the Money Advice Service, the Pensions Advisory Service and Pension Wise) in each of the five years up to and including 2018-19 were previously provided in the Answer on 7 October 2019 to Question 292822.Since Money and Pensions Service has been constituted with different statutory functions to the legacy organisations no direct comparison can be made between the budget for Money and Pensions Service and those for the previous services.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of women on low incomes born in the 1950s who have had their state pension age changed in (a) Blackpool, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West.

Guy Opperman: Women born between 6 April 1950 and 5 April 1953 were affected by State Pension age equalisation under the Pensions Act 1995. The Pensions Act 2011 accelerated the equalisation of State Pension age, and included transitional arrangements limiting State Pension age delays, affecting women born between 6 April 1953 and 5 December 1953. It also brought forward the increase in State Pension age from 65 to 66 which affected women born between 6 December 1953 and 5 April 1960. The Department for Work and Pensions only holds estimates at a Great Britain level. The Office for National Statistics publishes data bi-annually on population numbers and projections. This is not segmented into income categories. They do offer data segmented into local area groups and region. The next release of population data will be available on the 21/10/2019 at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/nationalpopulationprojections2018based

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions Ministers in her Department have had with groups representing women born in the 1950s who have had their state pensions age changed as a result of the Pensions Act 2011 on options for those women to draw their pensions at a reduced rate at 64 years of age.

Guy Opperman: The Secretary of State has committed to meeting the joint chairs of All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on State Pension inequality for Women.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to help reduce the financial losses incurred by women on low incomes born in the 1950s who have had their state pension age changed.

Guy Opperman: For people who cannot work, the welfare system will continue to provide a safety-net, as it does for people of all ages now. We will spend around £55 billion this year (2019/20) on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions. This is around 2.5 per cent of GDP, and over 6 per cent of government spending, and as a share of GDP, the UK’s public spending is second highest in the G7 [OECD 2015 data]. The new State Pension is actually more generous for many women, who often did less well in the past. Women who reached State Pension age in 2016 are estimated to receive more State Pension on average over their lifetime than women ever have before. By 2030, over 3 million women stand to gain an average of £550 more per year as a result of the recent reforms. There are now 5 million women aged 50 and over in the workforce compared to 4.2 million five years ago. This is a record high. This Government is committed to improving the outlook for older workers, including women, affected by increases in the State Pension age, and removing the barriers they may face. We have removed the default retirement age, meaning most people can choose when to retire, and extended the right to flexible working. To support people with their future planning, DWP launched an online web page in February this year which brings together money, job and health elements of the mid-life MOT: https://www.yourpension.gov.uk/mid-life-mot/ To support employers, Business in The Community has also created MOT guides that support business. https://age.bitc.org.uk/tools-impact-stories/toolkits

Occupational Pensions: Scunthorpe

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people in Scunthorpe constituency have (a) opted out after being auto-enrolled into a workplace pension and (b) saved more than the auto-enrolment minimum contribution.

Guy Opperman: Automatic enrolment has achieved a quiet revolution through getting employees into the habit of pension saving, and reversing the decline in workplace pension participation in the decade prior to these reforms. Since automatic enrolment started in 2012 participation rates have been transformed with 87% of eligible employees saving into a workplace pension in 2018, up from 55% in 2012. The Department does not hold data for individual constituencies in relation to opt outs or the number of individuals who have saved above the automatic enrolment minimum contribution level. However, we do know that overall around 9% of automatically enrolled workers have chosen to opt out which is significantly below original estimates; and our latest evaluation report shows that, in April 2017, approximately 5.9 million eligible employees were already meeting the April 2019 minimum contribution rates1. I am providing the following information about the impact of automatic enrolment in your constituency, as at end of September 20192: In the Scunthorpe constituency since 2012, approximately 9,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled and 1370 employers have met their duties. 1Automatic Enrolment Evaluation Report 2018, available via the following weblink: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/764964/Automatic_Enrolment_Evaluation_Report_2018.pdf. 2The Pensions Regulator’s data on Automatic enrolment declaration of compliance by constituency, available via the following weblink:https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Veterinary Medicine: Drugs

Jane Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effect on availability of veterinary medicines of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

George Eustice: All veterinary medicines authorised for use in the UK will continue to be authorised after Brexit and can remain on the market for sale and supply in their existing packaging. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is working with the pharmaceutical industry to ensure a no deal scenario has minimal impact on the regulatory burden on the pharmaceutical industry and that the UK remains attractive for the pharmaceutical industry to manufacture and market veterinary medicines.

Agriculture: Sustainable Development

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to support the recommendation of the Royal Society of Arts Food, Farming and Countryside Commission report published on 16 July 2019 that the UK transition to agroecological farming by 2030.

George Eustice: Leaving the Common Agricultural Policy and creating our own Environmental Land Management scheme represents a great opportunity to move away from paying farmers for the amount of land they own and instead reward environmental outcomes. The upcoming Agriculture Bill will frame this work.

Agriculture: Sustainable Development

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of whole farm agroecological systems.

George Eustice: Defra is receptive to emerging innovative farming practices. For the new Environmental Land Management system we are undertaking tests and trials and from 2021 progressing onto a National Pilot to test the system at scale. Our aim is to improve productivity, while achieving better environmental outcomes and rewarding the delivery of public goods.

Agriculture: Sustainable Development

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to incentivise farmers to use more sustainable farming methods.

George Eustice: As part of our future agricultural policy, a range of policies are being developed to support farmers and land managers in relation to animal welfare, productivity, and research and development. Farmers and other land managers will also have the opportunity under the new Environmental Land Management scheme to be paid for delivering the following public goods set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan: clean air; clean and plentiful water; thriving plants and wildlife; protection from and mitigation of environmental hazards; beauty, heritage and engagement; mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. Sustainable farming methods can contribute to many of the environmental public goods that land managers will be incentivised to deliver through the ELM scheme.

Animal Products: Imports

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which animals will be covered by the ban on trophy hunting imports to the UK.

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timeframe is for the ban on trophy hunting imports to come into force.

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which countries will be banned from exporting trophies from hunting to the UK.

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether animal (a) bones, (b) hands, (c) tails and (d) other parts are included in the ban on hunting trophy imports to the UK.

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the import of trophy hunting products by 1 January 2020, without further consultation.

Zac Goldsmith: Last month we announced that we will be consulting on whether to further restrict the import and export of hunting trophies. The consultation will cover a range of options. This is an important next step to determine how best to respond to conservation, welfare and ethical concerns. Following the consultation we will publish a Government response setting out any future policy actions required to move ahead on this important issue. The exact scope and timing of any further action will be subject to results of the consultation.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with representatives of St Helens Council on preparations for leaving the EU without a deal.

George Eustice: We have communicated on a range of topics with local authorities, including in a conference call on 13 August along with other government departments. Each local Authority has established a Brexit lead officer to liaise with government. Defra has identified areas where our exit preparations impact local authorities. For instance Environmental Health Officers are responsible for issuing Export Health Certificates on fish and we have discussed capacity and the requirements with them. We regularly contribute to a cross-government working group which coordinates engagement with local authorities. Information on leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement relevant to a particular local authority can then be accessed by the local authority via shared channels, such as:MHCLG’s Local government Brexit preparedness page on GOV.UK;MHCLG’s weekly e-bulletin to local authorities setting out all relevant updates for the week;Presenting information at MHCLG’s monthly delivery board to local authority representatives;The Food Standards Agency’s Smarter Comms platform accessed directly by regulatory officers in local authorities;Cascading information via MHCLG’s network of nine regional local authority Chief Executives;Using MHCLG’s newly established network of Brexit lead officers in each local authority;Direct email messages to regulatory leads in relevant local authorities;Engaging with and passing information through regulatory bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute or the Association of Port Health Authorities. Information on a range of Defra’s exit projects if we leave the EU without a withdrawal agreement has been made available to local authorities through these channels. This includes information on:Exporting fish and shellfish (Export Health Certificates);Importing fish and fisheries products (Catch Certificates);Import control systems for animals, products of animal origin and high risk food and feed;Food labelling changes;The protection of habitats and species;Waste;Guidance for businesses exporting goods to the EU. Local authorities have been invited to attend various meetings, including workshops, training events and roadshows on topics including:Changes to environmental regulations;Changes to food and farming;Changes to exports of animals and animal products;Changes to imports of animals and animal products;MHCLG’s regional roadshows on how local authorities will be affected by exiting the EU without a withdrawal agreement in Wakefield, Birmingham, London and Cambridge;Training on catch certificates in Wales, Inverness, Bristol and Newcastle;Changes to trading standards regulatory functions in Exeter;A series of teleconferences on changes to export health certificates;A webinar on changes affecting border or coastal local authorities;A workshop on regulatory services hosted by MHCLG with input from other departments including Defra.

Horse Racing: Animal Welfare

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the British Horseracing Authority on changes to reduce the death rate of horses.

Zac Goldsmith: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the Hon. Member for Slough on 4 July 2019, PQ 263251. Since then Defra officials have met the British Horseracing Authority and will continue to do so, to ensure actions to improve horserace welfare are maintained.

Agriculture: Scotland

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 25 July 2019, Official Report, column 1497, what the timescale is for the allocation of £160 million funding for farming to the Scottish Government .

George Eustice: As the Chancellor announced at the Spending Round on 4 September, the Scottish Government will receive £160 million to support farmers and land managers. This funding will be provided over two years, with £80 million in 2019-20 and £80 million in 2020-21. The additional funding will be provided through the normal estimates process and it will be ring-fenced to ensure that it reaches farmers and land managers in Scotland.

Fisheries: Protection

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of the year on year increase of (a) surface surveillance, (b) aerial surveillance and (c) the number of warranted marine enforcement officers in fisheries protection in the latest period for which data is available.

George Eustice: Compared with the financial year 2018/19, expenditure by the Marine Management Organisation is projected to increase by the following amounts with respect to the financial year 2019/20:a) Surface surveillance: £7.44 millionb) Aerial surveillance: £2.23 millionc) Training and staff costs for warranted Marine Enforcement Officers: £2.11 million

Pigmeat: China

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of trends in the annual value of pork exports to China since 2014.

George Eustice: Supporting the UK food and drink sector to increase its exports is a priority for Defra. The work we are doing to increase market access for pork to China is a great success, and has boosted the value of UK pork exports there from £19.6 million in 2014 to £43.6 million in 2018. China's domestic market consumes 55 million metric tonnes of pork per year and there is real potential for UK industry to continue to increase exports of pork products such as pig trotters and heads. We will also continue to build on our strong international reputation for food standards and premium exports, which help drive the demand for UK produce in China.

Pregnancy: Air Pollution

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the study published in Nature Communications on 17 September 2019, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the presence of sooty carbon particles in the placentas of pregnant women caused by polluted air.

Rebecca Pow: Although the Secretary of State (SoS) for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has not had any recent discussions with the SoS of the Department of Health and Social Care on the presence of sooty carbon particles in the placentas of pregnant women caused by polluted air, Defra officials work closely with counterparts across Government Departments to ensure policies to improve air quality are joined up, to reduce the impacts of air pollution on human health and the environment. Our Clean Air Strategy focussed on delivering national emissions commitments to reduce the emission of five key pollutants (including PM2.5) by 2030 and committed to the setting of a new ambitious long-term target to reduce concentrations of PM2.5. In addition, our landmark Environment Bill builds on this ambition and includes a duty to set an ambitious legally binding target to reduce fine particulate matter, the pollutant that causes the greatest harm to human health.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of delaying the proposed introduction in 2020 of charges for Musical Instrument Certificates (MICs) where instruments contain Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)-listed materials.

Zac Goldsmith: We are expecting to introduce a new fees and charges structure for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) permitting in 2020. This new structure seeks to standardise and simplify the existing charging criteria, and bring CITES Musical Instrument Certificates (MICs) in-line with other permit costs. This will be based on a cost recovery model and supported by a full public consultation and impact assessment. The consultation will consider the timing of implementation as well as the fee structure.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to include transitional arrangements for CITES-listed materials in (a) any withdrawal agreement made with the EU and (b) in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Zac Goldsmith: The UK Government has been working hard to ensure we maintain continuity and minimise disruption for those who trade and move CITES listed species after the UK leaves the EU. With regard to a withdrawal agreement, current CITES controls and procedures in place between the UK and EU27 will continue during the implementation period. The UK will inherit the current EU Wildlife Trade Regulations, which at present implement CITES across the EU, with necessary deficiencies corrected. On an ongoing basis we will consider amendments necessary to continue to meet our obligations under the Convention in a UK context. As a committed Party to CITES in its own right, the UK will continue to honour its international commitments under the Convention and implement the necessary controls accordingly.

African Swine Fever: Disease Control

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the risk of an outbreak of African swine fever in the UK; what steps the Government is taking to minimise that risk; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Animal and Plant Health Agency regularly assess the changing global animal disease presence and its potential risk to the UK. These assessments are published on the gov.uk website and the most recent assessment for African swine fever (ASF) was made in October 2019. The UK is at medium risk for the entry of contaminated or infected products into UK however the risk of exposure to the UK pig population is highly dependent on the level of biosecurity on individual pig premises and is considered to be low for those with good biosecurity. To safeguard the UK’s pork and pig industries, Defra, together with the Scottish and Welsh Governments and DAERA in Northern Ireland, the UK pig industry and veterinary bodies have been working together to raise awareness of the risks of the introduction of ASF to the UK, the importance of good biosecurity and what steps can be taken to protect the UK pig herd. A specific communications campaign about ASF was launched this summer which includes a new poster campaign introduced in UK airports and ports, to raise awareness of the disease and the risks of bringing back potentially contaminated products. Defra are also working closely with Border Force officials to crack down on illegally imported meat entering the UK from high risk countries.

Pigs: Animal Welfare

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he had with (a) the National Farmers' Union and (b) other relevant bodies before publishing the updated Code of Practice for the welfare of pigs; for what reason that Code applies to England only; and if he will make a statement.

Zac Goldsmith: Defra held an open public consultation in 2018 on a draft code of practice for pigs. The National Farmers’ Union and a range of key stakeholders engaged in the consultation process. Defra convened a sub-group which included the National Pig Association, the Pig Veterinary Society, AHDB Pork and the RSPCA to develop and refine the draft code further, and also engaged further with Compassion in Word Farming (CIWF). The Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) approved the final version of the draft code. The code applies to England only as animal welfare is a devolved matter. We continue to work very closely with the pig sector and will ensure owners and keepers of farmed pigs, are fully aware of the updated statutory code when it comes into force.

African Swine Fever: Disease Control

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that pork imports do not reach the UK from countries affected by African swine fever.

George Eustice: EU safeguard measures restrict the commercial trade of pork and pork products from regions of the EU that are affected by African swine fever (ASF) so these cannot be traded with the UK. All countries outside of the EU who are currently approved to trade in pork and pork products with the UK are free of ASF. To prevent the entry of potentially infected products, Defra and the Devolved Administrations have also been delivering targeted communications. A specific communications campaign about ASF was launched this summer which includes a new poster campaign introduced in UK airports and ports, to raise awareness of the disease and the risks of bringing back potentially contaminated products. Defra are also working closely with Border Force officials to crack down on illegally imported meat entering the UK from high risk countries. UK Border officials detect illegally imported meat and enforce controls at the border by targeting and searching freight, passengers and luggage and will seize and destroy illegally imported meat products.

Home Office

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics dated 22 August 2019, for what reasons settled status applications are classified as invalid.

Brandon Lewis: The rules for the EU Settlement Scheme state that an application is valid where it has been made using the required application process, the required proof of identity and nationality has been provided, and the required biometrics have been provided. An application is recorded as invalid if it does not meet these criteria.The user guide accompanying the EU Settlement Scheme statistics published on 22 August setting this out can be found here https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/826757/euss-quarterly-statistics-user-guide.pdf

Anne Sacoolas

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits and feasibility of issuing an Interpol Red Notice against US citizen Anne Sacoolas, as a way of securing her extradition to the UK in order to assist Northamptonshire Police in their investigation into the road traffic collision on 27 August 2019 which resulted in the death of Harry Dunn.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government will make an extradition request to the United States of America for the return of US citizen Anne Sacoolas, in order to assist Northamptonshire Police in their investigation into the road traffic collision on 27 August 2019 which resulted in the death of Harry Dunn.

Brandon Lewis: The decision to issue an Interpol Red notice or seek a person’s extradition is an independent one for the Police and the Crown Prosecution Service respectively. At this time the matter is still under investigation, so it would not be appropriate to comment further.

Climate Change: Demonstrations

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she had with the Metropolitan police on the revised section 14 notice issued under the Public Order Act 1986 to the Extinction Rebellion autumn uprising event in London on Monday 14 October.

Kit Malthouse: The right to protest peacefully is a long-standing tradition in this country and a vital foundation of our democracy. It is also essential that people can go about their daily business without disruption.Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 is a long-standing power available to the police. The use of this power is an operational decision.

Metropolitan Police: Recruitment

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister of 24 July 2019, Official Report, column 1292, how many of those additional police officers will be recruited to (a) the Metropolitan Police and (b) work in Southwark.

Kit Malthouse: The Metropolitan Police will be able to recruit 1,369 additional officers by the end of March 2019 as part of the first wave of 6,000 additional police officers to be recruited nationally. Decisions around the deployment of new officers at a local level are the responsibility of the Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime.

Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs: Public Appointments

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role Ministers have in the appointment of people to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Ministers have vetoed appointments to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her policy that an individual's support for drugs policy reform is compatible with membership of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

Kit Malthouse: Ministers appoint members to the boards of public bodies that are listed in the Public Appointments Order in Council including the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) via the process laid out in the Governance Code for Public Appointments, and in accordance with the law relating to the particular public body.The names of candidates are submitted to Ministers following assessment by an independent Advisory Assessment Panel. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and make the final appointment.The Home Secretary and the ACMD have a joint working protocol which supports the respective roles and responsibilities of the Government and the ACMD. The protocol states that the ACMD continues to need to draw on a diverse range of expertise from within its membership, in order to fulfil its duties under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.See https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/119041/workingprotocol.pdf

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the EU Settlement Scheme Statistics dated 22 August 2019, for what reasons 88,900 outstanding applications have yet to be concluded.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the EU Settlement Scheme Statistics dated 22 August 2019, how many of the 88,900 applications that have yet to be concluded have been referred to immigration enforcement.

Brandon Lewis: It usually takes around 5 working days for applications for status under the EU Settlement Scheme to be processed, but it can take longer.An application may take longer to process if:UKVI need to request more information from the applicant.The applicant is a minor and their application is not linked to an adult.The applicant has submitted a paper application.The applicant has a relevant criminal record.The applicant is a non-EEA or non-Swiss citizen and is applying on the basis of a relationship that they have not relied on in a previous application to the Home Office.Any applications that have not been concluded remain under consideration. The EU Settlement Scheme monthly statistics show that up to 30 September 2019, only two applications have been refused.

Immigration: EEA Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's funding for voluntary and community sector organisations to support vulnerable and at-risk EEA citizens to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme, what criteria her Department uses to determine whether applicants are (a) vulnerable and (b) at-risk.

Brandon Lewis: There is no one definition of vulnerability, and to define vulnerability as a particular set of characteristics or groups could risk us missing particular individuals.However, following extensive consultation both internally within the Authority and across Other Government Departments (OGDs,), UKVI has set out the groups likely to be identified as vulnerable and who may therefore have additional needs to be met to enable them to apply for the Scheme. The following key groups are likely to be identified as vulnerable and therefore would have additional needs to be met in order to apply for the Scheme. These may include but are not limited to the following:Some elderly people, disabled people and people with serious health conditions (e.g. physical or mental impairment, are socially excluded as a result of their circumstances);Those who have experienced modern slavery and/or trafficking;Those who have experienced domestic abuse (to include non-violent forms of abuse (emotional, psychological etc);Those with no fixed abode (e.g. Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, rough sleepers); Vulnerable children.Whilst many EU citizens may only fall under one of these categories, it is by no means an exhaustive list and it is likely that some will have multiple needs which will have to be met in a clear and accessible way.The Home Office is in favour of implementing a mixed model approach, which can meet the needs of the diversity of vulnerable EU citizens, enabling a combination of offerings to give citizens the best chance of making their application. This user-needs approach is deployed by a range of other organisations who need to handle vulnerable citizens, including those in OGDs and private sector organisations, such as those providing financial services.

LPT Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology: Animal Experiments

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the findings of the Cruelty Free International and SOKO Tierschutz investigation of contract animal testing facility the Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology in Germany.

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to inspect UK contract animal testing laboratories with reference to the recent findings of the Cruelty Free International and SOKO Tierschutz investigation of the contract animal testing facility Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology in Germany.

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any Government Departments or agencies (a) have sponsored and (b) are sponsoring any research at the Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology contract animal testing facility in Germany.

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on whether animals housed at the Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology in Germany have been exported from the UK.

Kit Malthouse: The delivery of the animals in science regulatory framework provides oversight, rigour and scrutiny. The HO publishes guidance and a code of practice on the housing and care that explain how the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) is administered and enforced.Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) inspection programme is a cornerstone for the protection of animals used for experimental or other scientific procedures. Home Office Inspectors undertake visits, within a risk-based framework, to all establishments licensed to breed or supply animals, or to carry out regulated procedures on animals under the ASPA in Great Britain, to inspect the welfare, health and environment of the animals at the facility. All inspectors are veterinary or medical professionals.The Home Office does not sponsor research relating to animals used in science.The Home Office does not hold information requested with regards to exported animals.

Hate Crime

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many hate crimes were recorded in each category in (a) 2010 and (b) the most recent period for which data is available.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office collects and publishes statistics annually on the number of hate crime offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, broken down by monitored strand in the ‘Hate Crime, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin. The latest available data, covering the period 2011/12 (when the data collection began) to 2018/19, can be found in ‘Table 2’ of the data tables, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hate-crime-england-and-wales-2018-to-2019

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications to the seasonal workers pilot scheme were (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications to the seasonal workers pilot scheme from businesses operating in Scotland were (a) made and (b) successful.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications under the seasonal workers pilot scheme were allocated but not filled with a seasonal worker.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria her Department plans to use to evaluate the seasonal workers pilot scheme.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many places on the seasonal workers pilot scheme were allocated to (a) operators and (b) businesses in (i) Angus, (ii) Perth and North Perthshire, (iii) Stirling, (iv) Ochil and South Perthshire and (v) North East Fife.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many places on the seasonal workers pilot scheme were allocated to (a) operators and (b) businesses in (i) Mcray, (ii) Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, (iii) Banff and Buchan, (iv) Gordon and (v) West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine constituencies.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many places on the seasonal workers pilot scheme were allocated to (a) operators and (b) businesses in (i) Ayr Carrick and Cumnock, (ii) Dumfries and Galloway, (iii) Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweedale, (iv) Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk and (v) East Lothian.

Seema Kennedy: The numbers of visa applications made, approved and refused under Seasonal Workers Pilot scheme are published in the quarterly Immigration statistics. This information is available on the Gov.uk website at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2019/list-of-tablesThe Seasonal Workers Pilot is a UK wide scheme. The recruitment and placement of migrant workers is managed by the two scheme operators who have been licensed to manage the pilot. Both scheme operators cover the whole of the country and in 2019 both operators were allocated 1,250 scheme places. The Home Office does not hold information relating to the allocation of workers to specific regions.Any places allocated to applicants who subsequently decide not to travel to the UK are made available to other applicants.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to increase the number of ID scanning centres for EU citizens applying to the EU settlement scheme available in Wales.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the applicant is to the individual of the use the scanning equipment for the EU Settlement Scheme in each of the four centres in Wales.

Brandon Lewis: EU citizens make a huge contribution to our economy and society, and we want them to stay. The EU Settlement Scheme enables them to do so.The application process for the EU Settlement Scheme is straightforward and user-friendly, and is accessible on any smartphone, tablet or computer using internet browsers.There are multiple ways to freely have identity documents checked, including using the EU Exit: ID Document Check app or by posting identity documents to the Home Office. There are also over 80 locations nationwide, provided by local authorities, where applicants have their passport scanned and verified.The ID document scanning service is provided at the discretion of each local authority. The viability and cost of offering the ID document scanning service in each location is a matter for each local authority. There are currently four local authorities participating in Wales; Bridgend, Caerphilly, Ceredigion and Rhondda Cynon Taf.The Home Office would encourage as many local authorities as possible to offer this service, and we continue to work with local government bodies across the UK to increase the provision of this service.Participating local authorities do not receive funding from central Government to provide this service. Charges for using this service, payable directly to the local authority, can be set by the local authority to cover the cost of providing the service. Some local authorities have elected to provide the service for free to residents, whilst others have elected to set a fee.Bridgend: The service is free of charge to residents of Bridgend County Borough, and costs £14 for non-residents.https://www.bridgend.gov.uk/my-council/council-priorities-and-performance/preparing-for-brexit/Caerphilly: The cost of the EU Settlement Service is £14 (including VAT). https://www.caerphilly.gov.uk/Services/Births,-marriages,-deaths/EU-Settlement-SchemeCeredigion: A fee of £14 per transaction will be required. In line with other authorities who deliver this service, Ceredigion County Council Staff are exempt from the fee.https://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/resident/news/council-to-provide-support-for-european-union-settlement-scheme-applicants/Rhondda Cynon Taf (Pontypridd): No fee listed on their website. Assumed free to all users. https://www.rctcbc.gov.uk/EN/Resident/BirthsMarriagesandDeaths/EUSettlementSchemeIdentityVerification/EUSettlementSchemeIdentityVerification.aspx

Immigration: EU Nationals

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to make the EUSS App available on iOS smartphones.

Brandon Lewis: EU citizens make a huge contribution to our economy and society, and we want them to stay. The EU Settlement Scheme enables them to do so. The ‘EU Exit: Identity Document Check’ app is an optional aspect of the service which allows applicants to prove their identity remotely using their biometric identity document and a smartphone device.We have been working closely with Apple over a number of months to make the app available on iPhones and have now released a beta version of the iOS app, initially available on iPhone models 8 and above.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in Wales who have applied for status under the EU Settlement Scheme have (a) received settled status (b) been declined, (c) received pre-settled status, and (d) applications that are unresolved.

Brandon Lewis: Published information of EUSS applications concluded by type and UK country to 30 June 2019 can be found in ‘EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics’ at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/826751/eu-settlement-scheme-quarterly-statistics-tables-28-august-2018-to-30-june-2019.odsUpdated quarterly statistics to 30 September 2019 are planned for publication in November 2019.The latest published information on EU Settlement Scheme applications concluded for the UK can be found in the Home Office’s ‘EU Settlement Scheme monthly statistics’ available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/eu-settlement-scheme-statistics-september-2019. It was noted in this release that, as of 30 September 2019, two applications have been refused on suitability grounds. Of these, one application was refused in August 2019 and one application was refused in September 2019.The Home Office does not currently publish statistics on EU Settlement Scheme applications that are in the process of being resolved but is committed to publishing more detailed quarterly statistics on the EU Settlement Scheme. Home Office statisticians are currently considering the content of the next quarterly release.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency have applied for status under the EU Settlement Scheme, and have (a) received settled status, (b) been declined, (c) received pre-settled status, and (d) applications that are unresolved.

Brandon Lewis: Published information on EU Settlement Scheme applications by region and local authority can be found in the Home Office’s ‘EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics’, local authority statistics tables, table EUSS_LA, available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/826752/eu-settlement-scheme-local-authority-statistics-28-august-2018-to-30-june-2019.ods.Information of EUSS applications concluded by type and UK country can be found in ‘EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics’ at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/826751/eu-settlement-scheme-quarterly-statistics-tables-28-august-2018-to-30-june-2019.odsThe latest published information on EU Settlement Scheme applications concluded for the UK can be found in the Home Office’s ‘EU Settlement Scheme monthly statistics’ available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/eu-settlement-scheme-statistics-september-2019. It was noted in this release that, as of 30 September 2019, two applications have been refused on suitability grounds. Of these, one application was refused in August 2019 and one application was refused in September 2019.The Home Office does not currently publish statistics on EU Settlement Scheme application outcomes by local authority but is committed to publishing more detailed quarterly statistics on the EU Settlement Scheme. Home Office statisticians are currently considering the content of the next quarterly release.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in the constituency of Carmarthen East and Dinefwr have applied for status under the EU Settlement Scheme and have (a) received settled status, (b) been declined, (c) received pre-settled status, and (d) have applications that are unresolved.

Brandon Lewis: Published information on EU Settlement Scheme applications by region and local authority can be found in the Home Office’s ‘EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics’, local authority statistics tables, table EUSS_LA, available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/826752/eu-settlement-scheme-local-authority-statistics-28-august-2018-to-30-june-2019.ods.Information of EUSS applications concluded by type and UK country can be found in ‘EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics’ at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/826751/eu-settlement-scheme-quarterly-statistics-tables-28-august-2018-to-30-june-2019.odsThe latest published information on EU Settlement Scheme applications concluded for the UK can be found in the Home Office’s ‘EU Settlement Scheme monthly statistics’ available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/eu-settlement-scheme-statistics-september-2019. It was noted in this release that, as of 30 September 2019, two applications have been refused on suitability grounds. Of these, one application was refused in August 2019 and one application was refused in September 2019.The Home Office does not currently publish statistics on EU Settlement Scheme application outcomes by local authority but is committed to publishing more detailed quarterly statistics on the EU Settlement Scheme. Home Office statisticians are currently considering the content of the next quarterly release.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in the constituency of Ceredigion have applied for status under the EU Settlement Scheme and have (a) received settled status, (b) been declined, (c) received pre-settled status, or (d) applications which are unresolved.

Brandon Lewis: Published information on EU Settlement Scheme applications by region and local authority can be found in the Home Office’s ‘EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics’, local authority statistics tables, table EUSS_LA, available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/826752/eu-settlement-scheme-local-authority-statistics-28-august-2018-to-30-june-2019.ods.Information of EUSS applications concluded by type and UK country can be found in ‘EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics’ at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/826751/eu-settlement-scheme-quarterly-statistics-tables-28-august-2018-to-30-june-2019.odsThe latest published information on EU Settlement Scheme applications concluded for the UK can be found in the Home Office’s ‘EU Settlement Scheme monthly statistics’ available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/eu-settlement-scheme-statistics-september-2019. It was noted in this release that, as of 30 September 2019, two applications have been refused on suitability grounds. Of these, one application was refused in August 2019 and one application was refused in September 2019.The Home Office does not currently publish statistics on EU Settlement Scheme application outcomes by local authority but is committed to publishing more detailed quarterly statistics on the EU Settlement Scheme. Home Office statisticians are currently considering the content of the next quarterly release.

Police Custody: Drugs

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the total time that police custody cells have been occupied by people withdrawing from the use of vaping fluids laced with the synthetic cannabinoid Spice in the last year.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office does not collect data on this issue. The purpose of police custody is to enable the detention of individuals following arrest.We maintain an active dialogue with the National Police Chief’s Council about issues affecting police custody and will continue to work together to tackle emerging challenges and ensure custody is a safe environment for detainees, police officers and police staff.

Asylum: Travel

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the frequency of requirements for asylum claimants to attend a Home Office centre are not excessively (a) burdensome and (b) expensive for people more than five miles away from such a centre.

Victoria Atkins: Asylum seekers in receipt of section 95 asylum support are provided with a weekly allowance which can be used to cover expenses such as travel costs.The assistance available to people supported under section 4 of the 1999 Act consists of accommodation (with gas, electricity and water provided free) and provision of a debit card (the “Aspen Card”) which can be used to buy food and other essential items. The Aspen card cannot be used to withdraw cash, but it bears the visa logo and can be used at retail outlets that accept visa transactions.If the supported person is required to report as a condition of their immigration bail their travel costs are also covered if they are accommodated more than 3 miles away from the reporting centre or in certain other circumstances, for example if they are unable to walk because of a disability.In practical terms the travel costs are covered by issuing tickets or by uploading further funds on to the person’s Aspen card.The Home Office keeps these arrangements under regular review.

Asylum

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for International Development of 2 October 2019, Official Report column 1205, when she plans to (a) publish the timescale for informing local authority and civil society partners of and (b) begin supporting those organisations to prepare for that commitment to resettle 5,000 refugees every year post-2020.

Victoria Atkins: We are grateful to the many local authorities and civil society organisations who have participated in the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS). Through the collective goodwill and efforts of all involved over 17,000 vulnerable refugees fleeing conflict have now found safety in the UK to rebuild their lives.Delivery of our resettlement schemes has relied strongly on the principles of collaboration and co-design between central and local government and other partners. We continue to engage closely with regional Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMP), local authorities and other stakeholders as we collectively prepare to transition to the new resettlement scheme in 2020.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department will publish details on the application outcomes of the EU Settlement Scheme at a (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency level.

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department will provide data by age on the number of applicants to the EU Settlement Scheme at a (a) regional, (b) local authority and (c) parliamentary constituency level.

Brandon Lewis: Updated EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics to 30 September 2019 are planned for publication in November 2019.The Home Office is committed to publishing more detailed quarterly statistics on the EU Settlement Scheme. Home Office statisticians are currently considering the content of the next quarterly release.

Police: Demonstrations

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many officers from each police force are assigned to the policing operations for (a) Extinction Rebellion protests and (b) protests connected to the UK leaving the EU; and what estimate she has made of the cost of those operations.

Kit Malthouse: The management of demonstrations, including the use of mutual aid and the associated costs, are operational matters for the police.The Metropolitan Police have stated their intention to seek Special Grant funding to cover the additional costs of the Extinction Rebellion protests, however as yet no formal application has been received.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Energy Supply

Nic Dakin: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question 290324, which other Departments have plans to switch to a green energy provider within the next 12 months.

Simon Hart: The information requested is not held centrally by Cabinet Office.

Brexit: Publicity

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effect on the Government’s Get Ready for Brexit campaign of seeking an extension to Article 50 as required under the European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 2) Act 2019; and what plans he has to (a) change and (b) end that campaign if an extension to Article 50 is agreed.

Kevin Foster: The EU Withdrawal (No.2) Act cannot require the EU to agree an extension. It remains the case in law that the UK is set to leave the EU on 31 October 2019.The Act set conditions on the Government if a deal had not been reached with the EU by 19 October or Parliament had not voted to leave without a deal. It is still the case any extension has to be approved unanimously by the EU27. If this unanimity is not forthcoming the UK will leave the EU on 31 October.On this basis, it is important that businesses and citizens continue to prepare themselves for leaving the EU on 31 October and do not assume they can put off preparations until a later date. As a responsible Government, it is vital that we provide the information people and businesses need to prepare.The “Get Ready for Brexit” campaign is a public information campaign providing citizens and businesses with the facts they need to know to be able to prepare for Brexit.The campaign is a cross-government campaign which uses national advertising including TV, radio, press, digital and outdoor advertising. It also includes direct engagement and local elements including business preparedness events, ministerial visits and local authority activity.

Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

Jo Platt: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many known cases of incorrect identity verification on Gov.UK Verify there have been since 2014.

Simon Hart: We are not aware of any cases where an individual has been verified as being someone they are not, or as an identity that is fake or synthetic through GOV.UK Verify.

Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

Jo Platt: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, which 46 Government services were originally intended to be accessible through GOV.UK Verify by March 2018.

Simon Hart: Not all the services originally considering using GOV.UK Verify are still in service, completed their digital transformation, or had well-evidenced need for digital identity. 21 services currently use GOV.UK Verify.

Electronic Government: Correspondence

Jo Platt: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent correspondence he has received from each Gov.UK Verify provider on their continued participation in that scheme.

Simon Hart: The Cabinet Office, including ministers, is in regular contact with all GOV.UK Verify identity providers. For example, we held a roundtable in July 2019. Details of ministerial meetings are published as part of routine government transparency on GOV.UK.

Ministerial Policy Advisers: Security

Nic Dakin: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what processes the Government has in place to ensure that special advisers continue to comply with requirements of the national security Vetting Decision Framework subsequent to having previously declared that they have not been involved in actions intended to overthrow or undermine Parliamentary democracy by political, industrial or violent means.

Oliver Dowden: The National Security Vetting process does not differentiate between special advisers and civil servants. Once a candidate is cleared and commences tenure, there are a series of processes to provide assurance and periodic review, as appropriate. For security reasons, these activities are not in the public domain.

Cabinet Office: Energy Supply

Nic Dakin: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, which provider supplies energy to his Department; how much CO2 was emitted through his Department’s energy consumption in the latest period for which figures are available; whether the criteria his Department uses to select an energy supplier includes how environmentally friendly the supplier is; and what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce CO2 emissions from its energy use.

Simon Hart: Energy is supplied by EDF Energy and British Gas (electricity) and Corona Energy (gas).The amount of CO2 emitted is published in the department's annual report and accounts and can be found using the link below on page 21/22. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/819251/CO-ARA-2018-19-Final.pdfThe Cabinet Office does not purchase its own energy and uses the Crown Commercial Services energy frameworks for supply of utilities.Recent steps taken to reduce CO2 emissions is published in the department's annual report and accounts and can be found using the link below on page 21/22. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/819251/CO-ARA-2018-19-Final.pdfThe department always considers energy saving and sustainable options when considering the undertaking of work on the estate.

Public Appointments: Permanent Secretaries

Nick Herbert: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 31 of the 2013 report entitled Civil Service Reform Plan: One Year On, whether it remains Government policy to appoint all new permanent secretaries on fixed-term tenures; how the civil service implemented that policy; and if he will publish (a) all permanent secretary-level appointments, (b) whether those appointments are fixed-term and (c) when those tenures expire.

Simon Hart: Since 2014, permanent secretary appointments have been made on the basis of a five year fixed tenure; this is set out in contracts of employment. Fixed term contracts may be offered to external candidates, for example in the case of specialist roles where experts are brought into the Civil Service to undertake a specific role.There is no automatic presumption in favour of renewal, but short renewals may be possible at the discretion of the Prime Minister in cases where performance has been strong and an extension is supported by the relevant Minister.The table below sets out the tenure end dates of the current cadre of permanent secretaries:Permanent SecretaryDepartmentAppointment to Current PostTenure End DateJohn ManzoniChief Exec CS and Cabinet Office13/10/201431/12/2019Jonathan StephensNIO09/06/201431/12/2019Melanie DawesMHCLG02/03/201501/03/2020Alex YoungerSecret Intelligence Service27/10/201431/03/2020Andrew ParkerSecurity Service22/04/201322/04/2020Leslie EvansSG01/07/201530/06/2020Richard HeatonMOJ29/08/201528/08/2020Simon McDonaldFCO01/09/201531/08/2020Elizabeth GardinerFirst Parliamentary Counsel24/11/201523/11/2020Lynne OwensNational Crime Agency04/01/201603/01/2021Simon BollomDefence Equipment & Support21/05/201820/02/2021Stephen LovegroveMOD25/04/201624/04/2021Jonathan SlaterDFE03/05/201602/05/2021Chris Wormald[1]DHSC03/05/201602/05/2021Tom ScholarHMT01/07/201630/06/2021Charles RoxburghHMT (2nd Perm Sec)04/07/201603/07/2021Alex ChisholmBEIS14/07/201613/07/2021Ian Diamond[2]UKSA/ ONS20/06/201931/12/2021Shan MorganWG06/02/201705/02/2022Jonathan JonesGovt Legal Department01/03/201428/02/2022Antonia RomeoDIT27/03/201726/03/2022Philip RutnamHO05/04/201704/04/2022Jeremy FlemingGCHQ10/04/201709/04/2022Bernadette KellyDFT18/04/201717/04/2022Simon GassJoint Intelligence Committee18/06/201917/06/2022Crawford FalconerChief Trade Negotiation Adviser21/08/201720/08/2022Jim HarraHMRC02/01/201801/01/2023Peter SchofieldDWP16/01/201816/01/2023Matthew RycroftDFID22/01/201822/01/2023Patrick VallanceGovt Chief Scientific Adviser04/04/201803/04/2023Shona DunnHO 2nd PS08/10/201807/10/2023Mark SedwillCabinet Secretary24/10/201823/10/2023Max HillDirector of Public Prosecutions01/11/201831/10/2023Clare MoriartyDExEU01/04/201931/03/2024Sarah HealeyDCMS23/04/201922/04/2024Tamara FinkelsteinDEFRA19/06/201918/06/2024Chris WhittyChief Medical Officer01/10/201931/09/2024 [1] Not on a fixed tenure contract[2] On a fixed term contract to cover delivery of the next census

Homelessness: Death

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place in the Library data on the number of homeless people (a) in receipt and (b) not in receipt of benefits that have died in each of the last five years.

Kevin Foster: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 52.24 KB)

Government Departments: Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 6 February 2019 to Question 215097 on Government Departments: Consultants, how much money has been spent from the public purse on consultancy fees as recorded by the Cabinet Office Spend Analytic Database by each Department since 1 January 2019.

Simon Hart: Spend figures are reported annually. As such spend for the financial year 19/20 will not be available until summer 2020.

Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much money was spent from the public purse on the Behavioural Insights Team as recorded by the Cabinet Office Spend Analytic Database by each Department in each of the last five financial years.

Simon Hart: Spend on the Behavioural Insights Team for the last five financial years by department has been provided in ANNEX A. 



ANNEX A
(Word Document, 14.03 KB)

Elections: Proof of Identity

Jo Platt: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) local authorities or (b) Government will bear the cost of producing a local electoral identity document.

Kevin Foster: The Government will bring forward measures to introduce voter ID when parliamentary time allows.As was the case in the 2018 and 2019 voter ID pilots, electors who do not have any of the required types of ID will be able to apply for a locally issued electoral identity document, free of charge.Funding for the additional cost of producing locally issued electoral identity documents will be provided by the Government.We will continue working with the pilot authorities who have tested voter ID, the Electoral Commission, and the Cabinet Office pilot and reference group to develop a secure and accessible process for national implementation.

Elections: Proof of Identity

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent from the public purse on voter ID pilot schemes.

Cat Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the evaluation of Voter ID Pilots 2019, published in July 2019, if he will publish the cost data from all pilot authorities.

Kevin Foster: Voter ID is part of a body of work this Government is delivering to strengthen the integrity of our electoral system and give the public confidence our elections are secure and fit for the 21st century. The pilots were run to give us a deeper understanding of how voter ID will work on a wider scale - and what works best for voters - before national roll-out.The costs of testing models of voter ID as part of the 2018 pilots have already been published and the costs of testing voter ID as part of the 2019 pilots will be published when all accounts with the piloting authorities have been settled.

Office for Tackling Injustices

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 8 October 2019 to Question 293689, whether he is considering not establishing an Office for Tackling Injustices.

Oliver Dowden: We are considering how best to take forward this work in the light of the new Government’s domestic priorities and will provide an update in due course.

Renewable Energy

Nic Dakin: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will amend the Crown Commercial Service energy frameworks for the supply of (a) gas, (b) electricity and (c) liquid fuels to ensure energy is supplied from fully renewable sources whenever possible.

Simon Hart: Each Government department makes their own purchasing decisions as to which source of fuel they wish to use through Crown Commercial Service (CCS) energy framework agreements.Current framework agreements include options to solely use renewable energy sources. A number of departments are currently supplied by 100% green energy, including DEFRA, HMT, Environment Agency, and the National Audit Office.

Technology: Conferences

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister's speech at the UN on 24 September 2019, what (a) plans she has made and (b) public consultation she plans to undertake in relation to the London Summit on Tech; and what steps he is taking to ensure that public opinion will be represented at that event.

Oliver Dowden: Planning for the London Summit in 2020 is ongoing. The aim is to ensure scientific and technological developments are harnessed in pursuit of our shared values of freedom, openness and pluralism. Governments cannot do this alone and we will seek participation from academia, industry and civil society. We will announce further details in due course.

Climate Change Convention

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether an invitation has been extended to the UNFCCC Secretariat for that Secretariat to visit the UK as part of a fact-finding mission prior to hosting the COP26 UN Climate Conference in 2020.

Oliver Dowden: The UNFCCC Secretariat will be crucial partners in delivering a successful COP. We have had extensive dialogue with the Secretariat over the course of the year and will shortly be making arrangements to host an inward visit. The Secretariat has advised that this should take place after COP25.

Office for Veterans' Affairs: Finance

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to the new Office for Veterans Affairs.

Oliver Dowden: At the last Spending Round the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that £5 million is being made available for the Office for Veterans' Affairs in 2020/2021. The costs of setting up the Office for Veterans' Affairs were met from existing budgets in the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Defence, and included time from existing staff.Furthermore, this does not represent the totality of government spend to support veterans. For example, we recently announced an additional £10 million to support veterans' mental health and wellbeing needs.

Cabinet Office: Temporary Employment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many contingent workers have been hired through the Public Sector Resourcing framework since its creation.

Simon Hart: In total, 14,190 contingent workers have been placed across the public sector since the Public Sector Resourcing framework commenced on 16 January 2018.4,698 are professional workers and 9,492 are categorised as administration and clerical workers.This information is accurate as of 17 October 2019.

11 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of amount spent from the public purse on repairs and maintenance at No. 11 Downing Street in each of the last ten years.

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has been spent from the public purse on repairs and maintenance at No. 10 Downing Street in each of the last ten years.

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the running costs of No.10 Downing Street have been in each of the last 10 years.

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse has been of repairs to and maintenance of Admiralty House flats in each of the last 10 years.

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse has been of running the Admiralty House flats in each of the last 10 years.

Simon Hart: I refer the Hon member to the answers given to him to PQs 133932, 133933, 133934, 133476, 133478 on 26 and 29 March 2018.

Cabinet Office: Sustainable Development

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings Ministers in his Department have had on the implementation of sustainable development goals in the last 12 months.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings officials in his Department have had on the implementation of sustainable development goals in the last 12 months.

Oliver Dowden: The Cabinet Office plays an important role in maximising progress on the Government's priorities, including supporting a coordinated approach to domestic implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Ministers and officials meet regularly with stakeholders across government to support implementation of the SDGs and ensure they are embedded within Government performance and planning. It is not common practice to disclose specific details of inter-Ministerial meetings, and to identify meetings on this subject for all officials in the department would incur disproportionate cost.

Government Chief Data Officer

Jo Platt: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 8 October to Question 293725 on Government Chief Data Officer, until what date the objective of appointing a Chief Data Officer by 2020 applies.

Simon Hart: No specific date has been set for the appointment, however the government remains committed to appointing within the timeframe set out in the Government Transformation Strategy.

Elections: Visual Impairment

Jo Platt: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department has taken to improve electoral accessibility for voters with blindness following the decision of the High Court on 3 May 2019.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to replace tactile voting since it was found to be unlawful.

Jo Platt: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings he has had with the RNIB since the 3 May 2019 decision of the High Court on electoral accessibility.

Kevin Foster: The Government continues to work with the Accessibility of Elections Working Group to make an informed assessment of the most suitable options to take forward. Officials are due to hold a meeting on this topic with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) very soonWork has been undertaken to revise guidance to electoral administrators and, with input from RNIB, to research technical solutions which will be further discussed at a dedicated sub-group.We are also starting to bring forward measures following the Government’s response to the 2018 Call for Evidence on Access to Elections. Proposals were announced during the Queen’s Speech. This will include increasing the range of support available to voters with disabilities in polling stations and allowing a wider range of people (such as carers) to assist disabled voters in polling stations if needed.

Public Sector: Computer Software

Jo Platt: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 5 September 2019 to Question 284390 on Public Sector: Computer Software, whether (a) his Department and (b) the GDS is monitoring the number and proportion of public sector computers transitioning from Windows 7 prior to the end of the support date.

Simon Hart: Individual technology choices and volumes purchased rest with individual departmentsThe Cabinet Office will soon start work on an audit to allow for a more comprehensive and consistent approach to reviewing legacy IT in government and will support departments to understand their legacy systems and any risks associated with those systems.

Cabinet Office: Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department uses Office for National Statistics estimates of personal wellbeing in formulating policy; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve personal wellbeing in the last 12 months.

Simon Hart: The Cabinet Office measures personal wellbeing through the annual Civil Service People Survey using the same national statistics that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) use for the UK population as a whole. Responses to this informed the Health and Wellbeing Strategy which was signed off by the Cabinet Office People Committee in September 2018In the past year Cabinet Office has run over a dozen campaigns and initiatives to improve personal wellbeing with over 2000 staff taking part.

Cabinet Committees

Wes Streeting: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings each Cabinet committee has held since the Prime Minister took office.

Oliver Dowden: It is a long established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not shared publicly.

Treasury

Public Works Loan Board

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the 1 per cent increase on interest rates of Public Works Loan Board finance on the viability of (a) housebuilding and regeneration schemes and (b) social housing schemes in Birmingham.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the 1 per cent increase on interest rates on Public Works Loan Board finance on local council (a) housebuilding and regeneration schemes, (b) school building and maintenance, (c) roads and (d) waste facilities.

John Glen: In raising interest rates for new loans from the Public Works Loan Board, the Treasury assessed the potential impact on local government capital plans. This increase returned Public Works Loan Board rates to levels that were available in 2018. The Government will continue to work with individual authorities on a case-by-case basis if they raise concerns over their finance position.

Financial Services: EU Countries

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Government's preferred method is of ensuring continued market access to the EU for UK-based financial services firms after the UK leaves the EU.

John Glen: The Government is determined to leave the EU with a deal. We are committed to an ambitious, broad, deep and flexible economic partnership, based on a best in class Free Trade Agreement. This is the best way to maintain and enhance our position as an open, global leader in financial services after we leave the EU. The UK is committed to a relationship based on an expanded and improved approach to equivalence. That is the best short and long-term solution for markets, firms and investors in both the UK and the EU. Such a relationship respects the autonomy of each Party over judgements about access to their market and over legislation.

Public Works Loan Board

Ben Lake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the recent increase to the Public Works Loan Board interest rate will apply to existing loans payable by local authorities.

John Glen: The increase to the interest rate for Public Works Loan Board borrowing applies to new loans only. Loans taken out prior to the change are not affected.

Public Works Loan Board: Wales

Ben Lake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect that increasing the Public Works Loan Board interest rate to 2.8 per cent will have on the (a) number and (b) value of loan applications submitted by local authorities in Wales for capital projects.

John Glen: The Treasury has increased the offered rate for new Public Works Loan Board loans by one percentage point. The cost of these loans varies with the cost of gilts. The Treasury assessed the potential impact on local government capital plans. This increase returned Public Works Loan Board rates to levels that were available in 2018.

Public Works Loan Board: Wales

Ben Lake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many loan applications submitted by Welsh local authorities to the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) are still viable following the increase to the PWLB interest rate.

John Glen: The increase to the interest rate for Public Works Loan Board borrowing applies to new loans only. Loans taken out prior to the change are not affected.

Pensions: Misrepresentation

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to (a) prevent pension phone scams and (b) bring people who undertake pension phone scams to justice.

John Glen: The Government is committed to protecting people from pension scams, and pursuing those who perpetrate pension scams wherever possible. That is why the government established Project Bloom, a joint taskforce between government, regulators and law enforcement to share intelligence, raise awareness of scams through communications campaigns, and take enforcement action when appropriate. Regulations to ban pensions cold calling came into force in early January 2019, using the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) as a legal framework. Firms who break the rules could face penalties of up to half a million pounds. As well as deterring cold callers by making their activities illegal, the cold calling ban makes it clear to the public that any pensions cold call they receive is illegal and likely to be a scam call. The Government also recently amended PECR to allow fines on individual directors who consent to or connive in or neglect to prevent serious contraventions of PECR by their organisation(s). The new measure came into force in December 2018. This measure gives the Information Commissioner the power to impose civil monetary penalties of up to £500,000 on those in positions of responsibility in all forms of corporate entities. In addition, the Government has recently provided the National Trading Standards Scams team up to £640,000 for the roll out of call blocking devices, free of charge, to vulnerable people, including old aged pensioners. The National Trading Standards launched this project on 15 October of this year.

Employment: Taxation

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the representatives of large companies on their ability to assess the employment status of their workers for the purpose of IR35 rules; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The off-payroll working rules (sometimes known as IR35) have been in place since 2000. They are designed to ensure that individuals working like employees pay broadly the same amount of tax and National Insurance Contributions, regardless of the structure they work through. They do not affect the self-employed. Budget 2018 announced that reforms introduced in 2017 for the public sector would be extended to all sectors, from 6 April 2020, giving businesses time to prepare. The Government has worked closely with external stakeholders, including contractor representatives, businesses and parliamentary colleagues to ensure that customers are ready for these changes, providing targeted support for customers to help them implement these changes. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will continue working with stakeholders to enhance the Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) digital service. Customers can use the CEST service to help make decisions on the employment status of their workers for tax purposes. In addition, HMRC have set up dedicated teams to provide education and guidance to all businesses affected by the reforms. This support will include one-to-one support for 2,000 of the UK’s biggest employers and direct communications to around 15,000 medium-sized businesses. HMRC have produced guidance for large and medium-sized customers, which can be found on GOV.UK;https://www.gov.uk/guidance/april-2020-changes-to-off-payroll-working-for-clients

Mortgages

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations he has received on the loyalty penalty in the mortgage market; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the loyalty penalty in the mortgage market.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the loyalty penalty in the mortgage market.

John Glen: There are comparatively high levels of customer engagement in the UK mortgage market, with 75% of customers taking out a new product within 6 months of being on the reversion rate.Whilst the levels of customer engagement are comparatively high in the mortgage market, the Government is not complacent. That is why HM Treasury (HMT) has worked closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on changes to their lending rules, which will remove the regulatory barrier which currently prevents some borrowers from switching to a new deal. These changes will be in place before the end of the year.HMT also supports the current FCA research into customers who could switch at the end of the fixed introductory period but who choose to stay on the reversion rate.No recent representations have been made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the loyalty penalty in the mortgage market.

Cryptocurrencies

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many formal complaints the Financial Conduct Authority has received from consumers in relation to the (a) sale and (b) distribution of Exchange Traded Notes that reference cryptoassets.

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many consultation responses the Financial Conduct Authority has received in opposition to the proposals in the consultation entitled, CP19/22 prohibiting the sale to retail clients of investment products that reference cryptoassets.

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of companies in the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) Regulatory Sandbox that would be affected by the FCA’s proposed ban on the sale to retail clients of investment products that reference cryptoassets.

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the evidential basis was for the Financial Conduct Authority statement in its consultation that Exchange Traded Notes that reference cryptoassets present risks to investors that are similar to Contract for Difference products which reference cryptoassets.

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason the Financial Conduct Authority's cost benefit analysis in its consultation entitled CP19/22: Restricting the sale to retail clients of investment products that reference cryptoassets did not include the benefits of Exchange Traded Notes that reference cryptoassets.

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) consultation CP19/22: Restricting the sale to retail clients of investment products that reference cryptoassets, what the evidential basis was for the statement that the FCA had seen poor outcomes from the limited products currently available on EU trading venues in relation to Exchange Traded Notes that reference cryptoassets.

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Financial Conduct Authority's consultation entitled, CP19/22: Restricting the sale to retail clients of investment products that reference cryptoassets, what the evidential basis is for the statement that the majority of investors in Exchange Traded Notes which reference cryptoassets were likely to suffer a loss over the long-term.

John Glen: This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is independent of government. The question has been passed to the FCA.The FCA will reply directly to Philip Davies MP by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Cryptocurrencies

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many formal complaints from consumers the Financial Ombudsman Service has (a) received and (b) upheld in relation to the (i) sale and (ii) distribution of Exchange Traded Notes that reference cryptoassets.

John Glen: This is a matter for the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), which is independent of government. The question has been passed to the FOS.The FOS will reply directly to Philip Davies MP by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Cryptocurrencies

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Financial Conduct Authority’s proposed ban of cryptoasset investment products for retail investors on (a) Revolut and (b) other challenger banks that offer products linked to cryptoassets.

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on the UK’s status as a FinTech hub of the proposals by the Financial Conduct Authority to ban the sale of cryptoasset investment products for retail investors.

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the Financial Conduct Authority’s compliance with (a) section 138I of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and (b) the powers under Article 42 of the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation in relation to the proposed ban on the sale to retail clients of investment products that reference cryptoassets.

John Glen: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) made a commitment to consult on the potential prohibition of the sale to retail consumers of derivatives referencing certain types of cryptoassets in the final report of the Cryptoasset Taskforce, comprised of HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority, in October 2018. The final decision on this consultation is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from government. The government continues to endorse the approach set out in that the Cryptoasset Taskforce report as the right way to facilitate innovation while protecting consumers and firms.

Financial Services

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the recommendations of the Cryptoassets Taskforce's 2018 report in relation to enabling innovators in the financial sector that play by the rules to thrive.

John Glen: In October 2018 HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) released the final report of the Cryptoasset Taskforce.The government continues to endorse the approach set out in the report, including its recommendations, as the right way to facilitate innovation while protecting consumers and firms. To date, a number of steps have been taken to implement the report’s recommendations, with others to follow.For instance, the FCA has consulted and issued final guidance on the regulatory perimeter in relation to cryptoassets, and HMT has consulted on the transposition of the 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (5AMLD).

Financial Services

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether issuers of Exchange Traded Notes are required to comply with (a) the EU Prospectus Directive, (b) Listing Rules for the NASDNAQ and (c) Nordic Growth Markets.

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on the UK’s status as a FinTech hub of innovative Exchange Traded Notes  issuers (a) remaining and (b) establishing operations in the UK.

John Glen: With a limited number of exemptions, issuers of exchange traded notes (ETNs) in the UK are obliged to produce a prospectus under the Prospectus Regulation – which replaced the Prospectus Directive from 21 July 2019 – when offering ETNs to the public or admitting them to trading on a regulated market in the UK.Issuers looking to admit securities, including ETNs, to trading on an exchange in another jurisdiction – including NASDAQ and the Nordic Growth Markets - must also comply with the admission requirements and rules of that jurisdiction. The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK remains the best place in the world for FinTech.

Cryptocurrencies

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of consultation responses to the Financial Conduct Authority's consultation entitled, CP19/22: Restricting the sale to retail clients of investment products that reference cryptoassets that opposed the proposals to ban the sale of cryptoasset investment products.

John Glen: This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is independent of government. The question has been passed to the FCA.The FCA will reply directly to Philip Davies MP by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Financial Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 71 of the Government's No-Deal Readiness Report, what temporary measures will be introduced to create a standalone regime for financial services when the UK leaves the EU; and what estimate he has made of the length of time that each such measure will be in place.

John Glen: As set out in the Government’s No-Deal Readiness Report, the Government has implemented a range of temporary permissions and transitional regimes for various EEA inbound financial services firms. These regimes will in most cases last three years from exit day, allowing EEA businesses to continue operating as normal in the UK while they go through the process to obtain full UK authorisation or recognition. While the Government has established the framework for these regimes in legislation, which Parliament has approved, the UK’s financial services regulators have been tasked with administering the operation of these regimes. Further information can be found on the regulators’ websites: https://www.fca.org.uk/brexit and https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/eu-withdrawal.

Self-employed: Manchester Gorton

Afzal Khan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in the Manchester, Gorton constituency filed (a) the SA103F form, (b) the SA103S form and (c) both forms with HMRC; what the 10 most common occupations were of the people who filed those forms; and what proportion of the people who filed in that constituency (i) were in each (A) occupation and (B) age category, (ii) were male, (iii) were female and (iv) received income taxed via PAYE in the most recent financial year for which data is available.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in the Manchester, Gorton constituency filed (a) the SA103F form, (b) the SA103S form and (c) both forms with HMRC; what the 10 most common occupations were of the people who filed those forms; and what proportion of the people who filed in that constituency (i) were in each (A) occupation and (B) age category, (ii) were male, (iii) were female and (iv) received income taxed via PAYE in 2007-08.

Jesse Norman: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Child Benefit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether child benefit is paid for children who are UK citizens but whose parents have no recourse to public funds; and if he will make a statement.

Rishi Sunak: Access to Child Benefit follows the long-standing Government policy that those who have not established their right to remain permanently in the UK should not have welfare provision on the same basis as those whose citizenship or status here gives them an entitlement to benefits. All those admitted to the UK for a temporary purpose are required, under the immigration rules, to be able to maintain and accommodate themselves without recourse to public funds. For this reason, apart from specified exceptions – set out in the Social Security (Immigration and Asylum Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2000 – persons subject to immigration control are not eligible for Child Benefit.

Social Services: Older People

Ben Bradley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of making personal social care free at the point of use for all people aged over 65.

Rishi Sunak: The Treasury has not made an estimate of the cost of making personal social care free at the point of use for people aged over 65.

Cash Dispensing

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that people are able to obtain their money from free-to-use ATMs throughout the country.

John Glen: The Government recognises that widespread free access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK. The Governments’ Call for Evidence on Cash & Digital Payments highlighted changing payment trends. In response, the Government has set up the Joint Authorities Cash Strategy (JACS) Group. This group brings together the key regulators to co-ordinate regulatory work to support the country’s cash infrastructure, including ATMs. It will publicly update on activity in the Autumn. The Government also believes industry has a crucial role to play in protecting access to cash. In addition to previous commitments, LINK – the UK’s largest ATM network - has recently committed to protect access to cash on high streets with five or more qualifying retailers. It has also created an ATM delivery fund for elected officials to request a new machine in areas with poor access to cash. Furthermore, UK Finance has launched a Community Access to Cash Initiative, offering grants to local communities to improve cash access through alternative solutions. The Government-established Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) continues to closely monitor developments in the ATM market and has used its powers to hold LINK to account over commitments to preserve the broad geographic spread of ATMs.

Local Government: Corporation Tax

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 30 September to Question 291404, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of local authorities using limited liability partnerships to avoid corporation tax on commercial activity.

Jesse Norman: The Government expects all businesses, including public bodies, to apply the tax rules correctly. As set out in HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money guidance, public sector organisations should not engage in, or connive at, tax evasion, tax avoidance or tax planning.

Tax Avoidance: EU Law

Patrick Grady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the UK remains in alignment with the EU Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive after the UK leaves the EU.

Jesse Norman: The Government is committed in ensuring all multinational enterprises pay their fair share of tax in the UK. The UK already has anti-avoidance rules in place which in most cases meet or exceed the Directive’s requirements. Finance Act 2019 introduced several technical changes which mean that the UK’s existing rules will be compliant with the approach taken by the Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive by 1 January 2020.

Social Security: Reciprocal Arrangements

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to ensure (a) the continued validity of UK-issued A1 certificates  or (b) that freelance workers are exempted from social security contributions for work undertaken in the EU27 in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Jesse Norman: In the event that the UK leaves the EU without an agreement the current system of reciprocal social security coordination with the EU, EEA and Switzerland will end. A replacement for the A1/E101 form will be issued for new applications after Brexit. The Government is encouraging individuals or their employers to contact the relevant EU social security institution to check if they need to start paying social security contributions in that country, as well as in the UK. The Government is calling on Member States to protect UK nationals by reaching reciprocal arrangements with the EU so individuals, including freelance workers, will only pay social security contributions in one country at a time.

Affordable Housing

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he will announce the funding for the next phase of the Affordable Homes Programme.

Rishi Sunak: The government is committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing and has made £9 billion available through the Affordable Homes Programme to March 2022 to deliver approximately 250,000 new affordable homes. We have already secured the future of the programme by announcing funding of £2 billion for its next phase, to give certainty to strategic partners and support them to deliver homes throughout the next decade.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Social Media: Codes of Practice

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which social media companies have signed up to the Government code of conduct for social media platforms.

Matt Warman: The Government published the Social Media Code of Practice in April 2019. This statutory guidance sets out actions that social media platforms should take to prevent bullying, insulting, intimidating and humiliating behaviours on their sites. The Code is also relevant to other sites hosting user-generated content and comments. While many social media companies will meet some of the standards set out in the Code of Practice, the Government has been clear that voluntary action to date has not gone far enough and there is not enough transparency about the effectiveness of different measures. In April we published the Online Harms White Paper, which set out our plans for world-leading legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. We intend to establish in law a new duty of care on companies towards their users, overseen by an independent regulator. The new regulatory framework will ensure that there is effective oversight of companies’ action to tackle harmful content online.

Twitter: Disinformation

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 8 October 2019 to Question 294108, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the circulation of fake content on Twitter.

Matt Warman: I refer the Hon Member to my answer to PQ 294108 from 8th October.

Twitter: Harassment

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on anonymous abuse and threats on Twitter.

Matt Warman: Ministers have regular discussions with their ministerial colleagues on a range of issues, including online abuse.

Twitter

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prevent people from establishing anonymous profiles on Twitter.

Matt Warman: Companies need to take responsibility for tackling abusive behaviour on their services, including taking steps to limit anonymised users abusing their services. However online anonymity is an important principle of a free and open internet and there are many legitimate reasons why an individual would not wish to identify themselves online - including to protect whistle-blowers and empower victims of modern slavery and domestic and sexual abuse. Globally, anonymity can be especially important for allowing human rights defenders and journalists to operate, especially within authoritarian regimes, without fear of undue reprisal and detention.

Twitter: Disinformation

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions officials in her Department have had with representatives from Twitter on tackling fake Twitter accounts.

Matt Warman: Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with Twitter on a range of issues, including the challenge of fake accounts. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.

Youth Services

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to produce a long-term plan for the provision of youth services.

Nicky Morgan: We recognise the importance of investing in our young people, and so in September this year the Chancellor announced a £500 million Youth Investment Fund over five years. This will help build up to 60 new youth centres and refurbish hundreds of existing youth facilities across the country, as well as providing over 100 mobile facilities for harder to reach areas. The fund will also support the provision and coordination of high-quality services for young people, and an investment in the youth workforce.

Youth Services

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to increase funding for local authorities to deliver (a) the provision of youth workers on a long-term basis and (b) other core youth work.

Nicky Morgan: Local Councils are directly responsible for allocating public funding to youth services in their area. We believe they are best placed to know what is required in their communities. The government has announced that following the Spending Round councils will receive the biggest year-on-year real terms increase in funding for almost a decade. The proposed settlement will increase the core spending power of local authorities in real terms by an estimated 4.3% to £49.1 billion in 2020 to 2021, an increase of £2.9 billion. To support the provision of youth services for all young people, a public call for evidence was opened on the 3rd October, as part of the review of the guidance which sets out the statutory duty placed on local authorities to provide appropriate local youth services. We expect that the review will provide greater clarity of Government’s expectations, including the value added by good youth work.

Youth Services

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's News story of 10 July 2019, Review launched into statutory guidance for local authorities on providing youth services,  what steps she plans to take to actively involve the views of young people in need of such services.

Nicky Morgan: It is really important that young people are at the heart of the policies we make about them, and that we listen to and take into account their views. The DCMS Youth Steering Group examined the strengths and weaknesses of the current statutory guidance document, and helped develop the questions for the call for evidence which was opened to the public on the 3rd of October. We are working with a number of youth organisations to make sure there are plenty of opportunities for young people to have a direct say about local services in their areas and how we can make sure the new guidance document is as helpful as possible. Young people are able to fill out a questionnaire and send their views to us, and can also attend a number of sessions that will be facilitated throughout the country over the next couple of months.

Pornography: Internet

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital Media Culture and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policy on commencing Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 of the 26 September 2019 research by the BBFC in its role as designated age-verification regulator; and when she plans to lay the BBFC guidance on age-verification arrangements.

Matt Warman: Protecting children is at the heart of our online harms agenda, and is key to wider government priorities. The government published the Online Harms White Paper in April this year. It proposed the establishment of a duty of care on companies to improve online safety, overseen by an independent regulator with strong enforcement powers to deal with non-compliance. Since the White Paper's publication, the government's proposals have continued to develop at pace. The government has concluded that the objectives of the Digital Economy Act will be best achieved through our wider online harms proposals and, as a consequence, will not be commencing Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 concerning age verification for online pornography. The Digital Economy Act objectives will be delivered through our proposed online harms regulatory regime which will result in a more coherent approach protecting children. We expect age verification to continue to be a tool used by companies to keep children safe online.

Commonwealth Games 2022

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, where the Commonwealth Games 2022 preparatory camps for competitors will be located.

Nigel Adams: The Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee will provide Games time training venues for all athletes immediately prior to and during competition. Games time training venues will be of competition standard, and in close proximity to the Commonwealth Games Village. The process for selecting the venues will begin this year and conclude in mid-2020.This will provide a further opportunity for communities in the West Midlands to play an important role in the delivery of the Games, and welcoming our Commonwealth visitors. We expect that a number of national Commonwealth Games Associations will also look to organise their own pre-Games training camps in the UK and the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee will help in providing details of the range of world class venues available in this country.

Internet: Children

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support her Department plans to provide to the Information Commissioner’s Office to enforce the Age Appropriate Design Code once it takes effect.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she will take to encourage relevant online service providers to conform with Age Appropriate Design Code  provisions.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to lay the Age Appropriate Design Code before Parliament before the end of 2019.

Matt Warman: It is vital we have world-leading standards which protect children's privacy when they are online. That is why we included provisions in the Data Protection Act 2018 requiring the Information Commissioner to produce the age- appropriate design code. We are working closely with the Information Commissioner's Office as they finalise the code and Ministers have met the ICO to discuss the development of the code. The Act requires the Information Commissioner to submit the code to the Secretary of State within 18 months of the Act being passed. Once submitted, we will lay the code in Parliament as soon as reasonably practicable. We will work closely with the ICO as they support industry to implement the code, to ensure that the code is a success and delivers the protections that children deserve. The Information Commissioner's Office will enforce the code and the underlying data protection standards in line with its Regulatory Action Policy.

Twitter: Discrimination

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to tackle (a) sexism and (b) racism on Twitter.

Matt Warman: The Online Harms White Paper sets out our plans for world-leading legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. We intend to establish in law a new duty of care on companies towards their users, overseen by an independent regulator. The duty of care will ensure companies have appropriate systems and processes in place to deal with harmful content on their services to keep their users safe. Compliance with this duty of care will be overseen by an independent regulator, which will have a range of enforcement powers. Alongside the White Paper, the government published the Social Media Code of Practice. This voluntary guidance sets out actions that the Government believes social media platforms should take to prevent bullying, insulting, intimidating and humiliating behaviours on their sites.Government has also asked the Law Commission to conduct a second phase of its review of the legal framework around abusive and offensive communications online. This will make specific recommendations for legal reform and is due to report in early 2021.

Twitter: Harassment

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of Twitter's appeals process for people that have suffered abuse on Twitter.

Matt Warman: The Online Harms White Paper sets out our plans for world-leading legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. We intend to establish in law a new duty of care on companies towards their users, overseen by an independent regulator. The duty of care will ensure companies have appropriate systems and processes in place to deal with harmful content on their services to keep their users safe. Compliance with this duty of care will be overseen by an independent regulator, which will have a range of enforcement powers. As part of the new duty of care, we will expect companies, where appropriate, to have effective and easy-to-access user complaints functions, which will be overseen by the regulator. Companies will need to respond to users' complaints within an appropriate timeframe and to take action consistent with the expectations set out in the regulatory framework

Musical instruments: Customs

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what advice she has given to UK-based musicians on transporting instruments into the EU in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Nigel Adams: The specific process or customs procedures that musicians decide upon will depend on individual circumstances. Options include ATA Carnets, but also merchandise in baggage rules, oral declarations and duplicate lists. We recommend musicians take independent advice as an independent freight forwarder or broker should be able to provide guidance on the pros and cons of each option, and may help them plan journeys and navigate customs procedures. The department has engaged with businesses and trade bodies in the music industry, including those in the touring industry, and this engagement will continue. The Government has now agreed the Withdrawal Agreement with the EU. We believe this is the best outcome for all UK sectors.

Huawei: 5G

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 7 October 2019 to Question 292999 on Huawei: 5G, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to telecoms networks arising from the delay of a decision on Huawei's involvement in UK 5G.

Matt Warman: The Government consulted with industry as part of the Telecoms Supply Chain Review, published in July, which set out proposals for a new framework for telecoms security. The Review also considered the issue of high risk vendors. A decision on this will be made in due course.

House of Commons Commission

Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme

Justin Madders: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many complaints under the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme which were not previously covered by the scheme have been lodged since the resolution of the House on 17 July 2019.

Tom Brake: The resolution of the House of 17 July 2019 endorsed the report of the House of Commons Commission entitled Extending the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme and approved steps to make the changes necessary to extend the scheme. Paragraph 6 of that report stated that subject to approval by the House, implementation work would take place over the summer, including the recruitment of additional expert independent investigators, with the intention of opening up the Scheme to non-recent cases from autumn this year.Complainants with non-recent cases and former members of the parliamentary community, not previously covered by the scheme, will have access to the scheme from Monday 21 October 2019.

Northern Ireland Office

Politics and Government: Northern Ireland

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of appointing a caretaker devolved government in Northern Ireland.

Julian Smith: The Northern Ireland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.